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BIOLOGY 

UBRARY 

G 


NATURAL  HISTORY  SERIES— BOOK  THIRD. 


NEIGHBOES  WITH 

WINGS  AND  FINS. 

AND 

SOME   OTHERS, 
FOE     YOUNG    PEOPLE. 


BY  JAMES   JOHONNOT.  f 

" 


NEW   YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO: 
AMERICAN    BOOK    COMPANY. 


Tlje  Boy  arid  tlze  Owl 


BIOLOGY 

UBRARY 

G 


"  Tu-whit !    Tu-whoo ! " 
Caught  as  the  deed  was  almost  done, 
Detected  when  the  prize  seemed  won  I 
In  vain  all  efforts  to  conceal 
The  egg  you've  risked  so  much  to  steal ! 
"  Tu-whoo ! "  the  owl  croaks  forth  anew : 
"  Just  put  it  back  !    Tu-whit !    Tu-whoo ! 
Tu-whit!    Tu-whoo!" 


COPYRIGHT,  1885, 
BY  D.   APPLETON  AND   COMPANY, 

E-P  1 


THE  PLAN  OF  THE   WORK. 


IN  this  third  book,  the  pupil  is  prepared,  by  both  age 
and  experience,  to  enter  upon  more  systematic  study. 
Story  and  description,  the  staple  of  the  preceding  num- 
bers of  the  series,  have  performed  their  work  of  awaken- 
ing interest,  and  the  next  step  in  advance  demands  the 
consideration  of  relations  of  a  more  vital  character  than 
those  already  presented. 

The  lively  interest  that  children  always  take  in  birds ; 
the  eagerness  with  which  they  watch  the  graceful  motions 
of  "  gladness  on  wings " ;  the  rapt  attention  that  they 
give  to  the  music  which  descends  from  tree  tops  or  floats 
down  "  a  brook  of  laughter  through  the  air,"  have  all  led 
to  an  extended  and  detailed  account  of  our  feathered 
friends  and  neighbors. 

But,  in  the  treatment,  the  canons  of  scientific  arrange- 
ment have  again  been  made  to  yield  to  the  more  import- 
ant laws  of  mental  growth.  The  lessons  begin  with  the 
familiar  rather  than  with  the  simple.  The  bridge  over 
which  the  mind  passes  from  the  obvious  and  common  to 
the  strange  and  unknown,  is  made  up  of  similarities.  From 
the  chicken  that  scratches  in  the  farm-yard,  the  mind  is  led 
to  a  consideration  of  the  scratchers  of  field  and  forest  the 
world  over ;  from  the  warble  of  the  little  wren  at  the  door, 


6  THE  PLAN  OF  THE   WORK 

the  attention  is  directed  to  the  carol  and  song  which  greet 
the  sunrise  in  its  daily  march  around  the  world. 

Science,  story,  and  song  are  mingled  in  proper  pro- 
portions:  science,  the  latest  and  best,  to  inform;  story, 
vivid  and  authentic,  to  interest ;  and  song,  fresh  and  vig- 
orous, to  inspire. 

By  this  combination  of  matter  and  method,  knowledge 
broadens  ;  the  mental  faculties  expand ;  the  vocabulary 
grows  from  day  to  day ;  and  the  reading  exercises  become 
efficient  means  for  obtaining  the  knowledge  which  most 
effectually  arouses  mental  activity. 

The  good,  prospective  and  potential,  in  the  method 
may  be  lost  by  misconception  and  mismanagement.  The 
reading  may  be  converted  into  a  mechanical  pronunci- 
ation of  words,  the  thought  never  reaching  the  under- 
standing ;  or  the  process  of  reading  may  be  regarded  as 
an  end,  the  thought  terminating  with  the  book. 

The  full  benefit  of  the  system  can  be  experienced  only 
when  each  new  fact  and  new  relation  stated  will  lead  to 
investigation  outside  of  the  book,  and  when  is  established 
the  threefold  process  which  makes  observation  the  basis 
of  instruction ;  uses  books  for  obtaining  facts  not  accessi- 
ble to  direct  perception ;  and  culminates  in  well-ordered 
and  well-expressed  thought. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  book,  I  wish  to  express  my 
obligation  to  Hon.  John  Monteith,  of  St.  Louis,  for  valu- 
able assistance  in  both  research  and  composition.  To  him 
in  a  great  measure  is  due  the  effective  style  in  which  the 
subjects  are  presented. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Scratching  for  a  Living 11 

II.  The  Bird  of  Christmas 16 

III.  Scratchers  of  Wood  and  Prairie 22 

IV.  Scratchers  of  Other  Lands 27 

Y.  A  Sensitive  Spirit 33 

VI.  Long  Legs  for  Wading 38 

VII.  Beach- Walkers , 44 

The  Sandpiper 48 

VIII.  Feathered  Marsh-Dwellers 50 

IX.  Giants  of  Desert  and  Plain 55 

The  Ballad  of  the  Emu 58 

X.  Swimmers  of  Lake  and  Sea 60 

XL  Sailers  of  Ocean  and  Air 65 

XII.  The  Stormy  Petrel 71 

XIII.  Oar-footed  Sea-Fliers 73 

XIV.  Swimmers  and  Divers 78 

XV.  The  Messenger-Bird  and  its  Cousins ...  84 

The  Belfry  Pigeon 90 


8  CONTE&  TS.  — (  Continued.} 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVI.  Gluttons  in  Feathers 92 

XVII.  The  Sky  King  and  his  Family 98 

XVIII.  Hannah  Lomond's  Bairn 105 

XIX.  Cats  in  Feathers 112 

XX.  Polly  and  her  Kin 121 

XXI.  Tree-Climbers ,    127 

The  Cuckoo 135 

XXII.  Divers  of  the  Air 136 

XXIII.  Fairies  on  the  Wing 144 

The  Humming-Bird 149 

XXIV.  Moth  and  Fly  Hunters 150 

The  Pewee 154 

XXV.  Gossips  and  Thieves  of  Orchard  and  Woodland 156 

XXVI.  Shiny  Coats 162 

The  Bobolinks 167 

XXVII.  Sociable  Tenants  of  the  Trees 169 

XXVIII.  Our  Near  and  Kindly  Neighbors 175 

XXIX.  Friends  of  Field  and  Forest 180 

XXX.  Little  Busy  Wings 187 

XXXI.  Birds  at  Dawn 192 

XXXII.  Song  and  Hymn  of  Garden  and  Wood ....«„  194 

XXXIII.  The  Rochester  Robin 201 

XXXIV.  Wings  and  Feet  for  Earth,  Air,  and  Sea 203 

XXXV.  Shiny  Tenants  of  Brook  and  Pond 212 

XXXVI.  Finny  Tribes  of  Lake  and  Sea 220 


A  hungry  fox  discovered  a  crow  perched 
upon  a  high  branch,  with  a  piece  of  cheese  in 
her  mouth  which  she  had  just  stolen,  and  he 
thus  addressed  her: 

"What  a  beautiful  bird!  How  soft  and 
glossy  your  plumage !  How  bright  the  glance  of 
your  eye!  Doubtless  your  voice  is  as  musical  as 
your  form  and  dress  are  elegant.  Do  favor  me 
with  a  song  which  can  not  be  less  than  divine!  " 

The  crow,  pleased  by  this  flattery,  opened 
her  beak  and  gave  a  dismal  croak,  when  down 
fell  the  cheese,  and  was  snapped  up  by  the  fox 
in  an  instant. 


The  Peacock. 


CHAPTER   I. 

SCRATCHING    FOR    A    LIVING. 

1.  IT  is  a  bright,  sunny  morning.    Our  feathered 
friends   are   awake   and  out.     They  are  talking, 
laughing,  crying,  peeping,  crowing,  clucking,  gob- 
bling, and  shrieking.     They  are  running,  rolling, 
hopping,  flying,  strutting,  and  scratching.     They 
seem  to  think  the  whole  world  belongs  to  them. 
They  fill  the  air  with  their  noise.     Their  many- 
colored  feathers  turn  and  .glisten  in  the  mellow 
sunshine,  and  the  whole  farm-yard  is  alive  with 
their  play  and  work. 

2.  With  the  first  coming  of  daylight  the  hens 
have  dropped  from  their  perch  to  the  floor,  and 
are  led  forth  by  the  gay  paternal  cock  to  enjoy  a 
day's  life.     A  busy  crowd  are  they.     When  not 
scratching  for  food  they  are  laying  away  a  treasure 
as  good  as  gold.     They  rest,  and  roll,  but  never 
loaf,  or  waste  time.     The  hen  seems  to  know  that 
if  she  would  eat  she  must  work.     And  she  sets 
about  her  work  early,  to  obtain  food  for  herself 
and  for  her  children. 


12  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

3.  The  hen  knows  where  to  seek  her  bread  and 
meat.     Grain  and  seeds  pressed  into  the  earth  by 
the  tread  of  heavy  feet  are  her  bread.     Her  meat 
has  wings  and  legs.     It  crawls  and  digs  and  bur- 
rows in  the  ground.     It  is  a  diet  of  worms,  flies, 
and  beetles.     They  have  a  good  time  during  the 
cool  and  dark  of  the  night  while  their  enemies 
are  asleep.     But  w^hen  the   fingers  of  the  morn- 
ing begin  to  touch  them  they  think  of  the  rude, 
scratching  claws  that  will  soou  be  after  them.,  and 
they  scamper   and   hide   before  their  eager  pur- 
suers. 

4.  And  what  about  hen's  teeth  ?     The  hen,  and 
all  other  scratchers,  have  teeth,   but  not  in  the 
mouth.     Their  food  is  swallowed  without  chew- 
ing, and  is  at  once  stored  in  the  crop,  where  it 
remains  until  it  is  softened.     Then  it  passes  into 
the  gizzard,  where  it  is  rubbed  and  ground  be- 
tween tough,  hard  ribs,  like  the  grooves  of  a  wash- 
board.    To  help  in  this  work,  the  gizzard  is  filled 
with  sharp  stones  and  bits  of  gravel  which  she 
has  swallowed.     These  are  the  hen's  teeth,  and 
they  work  quietly,   both  while  she  is  gathering 
food  and  when  she  is  resting  or  roosting. 

5.  So   the  hen  is  the  princess  of   scratchers. 
Her  hard,  tough  claw,  with  its  four  toes  and  four 
sharp  nails,  scratches  while  the  sun  shines.     Her 
nimble   bill   catches   and   bags   the  running  and 


SCRATCHING  FOR  A   LIVING. 


13 


crawling  game  which  her  gizzard,  with  its  strong 
teeth,  chews  and  grinds  at  her  leisure.  While  her 
brood  is  young  and  tender  she  scratches  for  them, 
and  teaches  them  how  to  scratch  for  themselves. 

6.  Above  all  the  noises  which  the  scratchers 
of  the  farm-yard  make,  we  may  hear  the  harsh  and 
grating  voice  of  the  Guinea-fowl.  Like  some  vain 
beings  without  feathers,  he  seems  to  think  that  he 
is  greatest  who  makes  the  most  noise.  He  is  the 
rattling  orator  of  the  farm-yard ;  and,  like  many 
public  speakers,  he  has  not  sense  enough  to  know 


The  Guinea-Fowl. 


4  when  to  stop.  All  the  live-long  day  his  clatter, 
like  the  sound  of  a  cracked  bell,  or  a  squeaking 
saw,  seldom  ceases.  At  times  he  gets  out  of  pa- 


14  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

tience  with  his  hearers,  picking  quarrels  with  tur. 
key,  and  peacock,  and  hens,  and  throwing  the 
whole  farm-yard  into  confusion. 

7.  The  Guinea-fowl  is  by  no  means  a  useless 
birdo     Allured  by  its  beauty  and  its  dark,  delicate 
flesh,  the  ancients  brought  it  from  the  coast  of 
Africa.     Its  very  noise  and  quarrelsome  disposition 
are  made  use  of  by  poultrymen  to  protect  the  rest 
of  the  feathered  circle  against  the  attacks  of  hawks. 
And  it  is  also  valued  for  the  richness  of  its  eggs. 
Some  have  said  that  the  Guinea-hen  is  sensitive 
about  the  disturbance  of  her  nest ;  and  that  she 
will  forsake  eggs  which  human  hands  have  touched. 

8.  The  Guinea  is  a  little  smaller  than  the  com- 
mon hen,  but  it  bears  a  general  family  likeness  to 
the  turkey.     Its  neck  is  long,  ending  in  a  queer- 
looking  head,  with  a  top-knot  sticking  up  like  the 
end  of  one's  little  finger.     As  to  color,  there  are 
pure  white  Guineas  and  Guineas  of  slate-colored 
feathers,  sprinkled  over  with  round,  white  spots. 

9.  A  long,  shrill,  unpleasant  cry  calls  our  at- 
tention to  the  comb  of  the  barn-roof,  where  the 
peacock  has  passed  the  night,  and  is  getting  ready 
to  come  down  and  swell  among  the  common  folks 
of  the  yard.     Isn't  he  beautiful  ?     No  wonder  that 
he  was  carried  from  his  home  in  India  as  a  present 
to  King  Solomon.     No  wonder  that  Alexander  the 
Great,  charmed  with  his  gorgeous  feathers,  gave 


SCRATCHING  FOR  A  LIVING.  15 

strict  orders  that  no  harm  should  be  done  to  him. 
He  knows  his  own  beauty,  and  for  this  reason  he 
is  very  vain.  And  if  any  creature  has  a  right  to 
be  proud  it  is  the  peacock. 

10.  About  the  size  of  the  turkey,  the  form  of 
the  peacock  is  lithe  and  graceful ;  and  it  carries  a 
train  longer  than  his  body,  covered  with  gauzy 
feathers  of  green,  gold,  bronze,  and  blue,  all  blend- 
ed into  the  brightest  and  richest  hues,  as  he  raises 
and  spreads  and  turns  his  tail  to  the  sunlight.   The 
eyes  in  the  feathers  of  this  overskirt  are  like  those 
of  the  peacock -butter  fly,  which  boys  catch  with 
their  hats  in  summer-time.    The  peacock  has  been 
known  to  live  as  many  as  a  hundred  years. 

11.  How  wide  is  the  difference  between  the 
beauty  of  the  peacock  and  that  of  his  mate,  the 
pea -hen!     And  why  is  this  so?     The  beautiful 
plumage  of  birds,  we  must  know,  is  intended  both 
to  attract  the  eye  of  man  and  to  please  the  eyes 
of  the  birds  themselves.     Birds  win  the  affections 
of  their  companions  by  their  beauty  or  their  song, 
just  as  boys  and  girls  gain  friends  by  good  and 
pleasant  actions.     But  the  female  bird,  who  must 
cover  her  eggs  or  her  young,  on  the  ground  or  on 
trees,  exposed  to  many  enemies,  would  only  invite 
and  increase  danger  if  she  were  beautiful.     So, 
like  a  good  and  sacrificing  mother,  she  must  be 
sober  and  plain,  for  the  sake  of  her  children. 


16  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  MXS. 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE    BIRD    OF    CHRISTMAS. 

1.  WE  now  come  to  the  bird  which  is  a  uni- 
versal favorite,  especially  when,  as  at  Christmas- 
dinner,  it  lies  on  the  platter,  well  roasted,  brown, 
tender,  and  juicy,  and  hot  from  the  oven.     How 
cold  and  dreary  would  Christmas  be  without  the 
presence  of  this  silent,  roasted  friend ! 

2.  Eager  eyes  of  little  folks  dwell  fondly  upon 
the  feast  "  fit  to  set  before  a  king,"  and,  when  the 
carving  is  done,  spoons  must  be  thrust  into  little 
mouths,  to  keep  them  from  crying  out  "  Turkey  ! " 
before-time,  as  was  the  case  of  the  children  of  Bob 
Cratchet,  in  the  "  Christmas  Carol." 

3.  When  no  peacocks  are  about,  the  turkey 
is  the  most  showy  bird  of  the  farm-yard.     It  is 
larger,  and  can  boast  of  longer  legs,  than  any  of 
its  companions ;  and  its  coat  is  shiny  and  always 
clean.     By  turning  in  different  ways  to  the  light, 
the  wild  turkey  appears  at  one  time  nearly  black, 
and  again  it  shows  a  bright  green  or  a  rich,  deep 
bronze  color.     In  the  farm-yard  turkeys  may  be 
seen  of  different  hues — some  white,  others  brown 
or  bronze,  while  most  of  them,  like  Joseph,  have 
coats  of  many  colors. 

4.  The  hen-turkey  is  plain  in  her  dress,  so  that 


THE  BIRD    OF  CHRISTMAS. 


17 


she  may,  as  little  as  possible,  attract  the  attention 
of  her  enemies.  She  is  shy  in  her  manner,  and  is 
disposed  to  make  but  few  acquaintances.  She 
talks  to  her  young  with  a  soft,  cooing  note,  when 


The  Wild  Turkey* 


18  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

she  feels  safe;  but,  when  danger  comes,  she  bids 
them  hide  in  the  grass  by  her  sharp  "  quit,  quit ! r 
The  little  ones,  in  turn,  answer  the  voice  of  their 
mother  by  high-keyed,  affectionate,  and  contented 
"  peeps,"  that  seem  to  say,  "  All  is  well." 

5.  The  turkey-cock,  or  gobbler,  as  he  is  called, 
wears  gayer  clothes  than  his  dames.     His  feathers 
shine  with  deeper,  brighter  colors ;  and  his  tail  is 
more  gorgeous  than  theirs.     He  is  a  fine-looking 
fellowT,  and,  like  the  peacock,  he  knows  it,  and  is 
proud.     He  struts  about  with  his  red  face  and 
wattles,  with  his  head  drawn  back,  his  tail  spread 
like  a  fan,  his  wings  dropped  and  dragging  on  the 
ground ;  and  he  seems  to  say,  "  I  am  the  finest 
bird  in  the  world." 

6.  Getting  food  and  eating  are  the  main  busi- 
ness of  turkeys.    Though  they  are  scratchers,  they 
spend  little  time  in  scratching.     The  farm-yard  is 
too  small  for  them.    Great  walkers  and  wanderers 
are  they. .  Tender  grass,  leaves,  bugs,  flies,  and 
worms  tempt  them ;  and  for  these  they  roam  over 
the  fields,  far  away  from  home,  leading  their  young 
ones  along,  and,  with  the  declining  sun,  return  to 
the  farm-yard  with  full  crops. 

7.  Turkeys  are  natives  of  America.   They  once 
roamed  wild  all  over  the  country,  and  are  still 
found  wild  in  the  forests  of  the  South  and  West. 
They  do  not  go  from  North  to  South  with  the 


THE  BIRD    OF  CHRISTMAS.  19 

changes  of  the  seasons ;  but,  when  food  and  water 
fail  in  one  part  of  the  country,  they  are  obliged  to 
go  to  another.  They  are  social,  and  live  in  small 
families ;  but,  when  they  leave  for  a  more  abundant 
region,  they  collect  in  great  numbers. 

8.  After  the  broods  are  hatched,  the  turkey- 
cocks  live  by  themselves,  in  parties  of  from  ten  to 
a  hundred.     They  are  cruel  parents,  and  the  hen- 
turkeys  must  keep  their  young  by  themselves,  for 
fear  that  they  may  be  killed.     When,  however,  a 
want  of  food  forces  the  turkey  community  to  seek 
a  new  home,  all  set  out  together  on  foot. 

9.  If  they  come  to  a  river,  they  collect  in  mass, 
meeting  on  the  highest  bluff,  and  there  often  re- 
main a  whole  day  consulting  as  to  what  they  shall 
do.     This  is  thought  to  be  a  good  opportunity  to 
show  off,  and  to  display  fine  clothes  and  loud  talk. 
Besides,  it  is  a  political  meeting,  and  a  leader  is  to 
be  chosen.    So  the  gobblers  strut  and  gobble  more 
than  usual,  and  even  the  hen-turkeys  grow  nervous 
and  try  to  gobble. 

10.  At  length,  when  all  are  ready,  they  rise  to 
the  tops  of  the  tallest  trees.     The  leader  gives  a 
signal-cluck,  and  all  take  flight  for  the  opposite 
shore.     Across  even  a  very  wide  river  the  strong 
birds  will  make  their  flight.      But  many  of   the 
young  fall  into  the  water,  and  reach  the  shore  by 
swimming. 


20  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

11.  Very  careful  and  tender  mothers  are  these 
hen-turkeys,  and  they  show  their  care  in  the  selec- 
tion of  nests.     In  a  hollow  place,  among  dry  leaves, 
by  the  side  of  a  log,  or  in  a  fallen,  leafy  tree-top, 
but  always  in  a  dry  place,  they  lay  their  eggs. 
Slyly  and  secretly  they  deposit  and  cover  them  so 
as  to  preserve  them  from  the  hungry  crow,  which 
is  ever  watching  for  the  chance  of  a  feast.     When 
she  returns  to  her  nest,  the  hen-turkey  follows  a 
different  path  from  that  by  which  she  left  it.     If 
her  eggs  have  been  touched  by  a  snake,  she  aban 
dons  the  nest  forever. 

12.  When   first   hatched,  the   young  turkeys 
wear  a  coat  of  soft,  heavy  down,  and  are  very  tender. 
The  mother,  anxious  to  keep  them  dry  until  their 
feathers  are  grown,  leads  them  to  dry  and  sheltered 
places.    When  the  dew  is  on,  or  rain  is  falling,  she 
covers  them  with  her  wings.    In  fourteen  days  they 
are  able  to  fly  to  the  low  branches  of  trees,  where 
they  pass  the  night  under  their  mother's  wings.    In 
another  month  they  have  grown  strong  enough  to 
reach  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees. 

13.  But  bird-life,  like  other  lives,  is  not  with- 
out its  dangers.    Man,  the  fox,  and  the  owl,  are  the 
enemies  of  young  turkeys.     The  owl  makes  its  at- 
tacks while  they  are  roosting  in  the  trees.     Slyly 
and  silently  he  draws  near  to  the  innocent  sleep- 
ers, but  is  usually  discovered. 


TEE  BIRD   OF  CHRISTMAS.  21 

14.  A  single  cluck  from  one  of  the  flock  gives 
the  alarm,  when  they  all  rise  upon  their  legs  and 
watch  the  motions  of  the  owl.    He  selects  his  prey, 
and  darts  down  toward  it  like  an  arrow.     But,  at 
this  instant,  the  victim  lowers  its  head  and  raises 
its  tail  over  its  back,     The  owl  strikes  the  tail  in- 
stead of  the  body,  and  the  turkey  drops  to  the 
ground  with  only  the  loss  of  a  few  feathers. 

15.  Those  who  have  studied  the  habits  of  the 
wild  turkeys  know  how  to  easily  trap  them.     On 
a  slope  of  ground,  or  hill-side,  a  pen  of  small  tim- 
ber is  constructed,  just  as  children  build  cob  or 
stick  houses.     It  is  covered  with  a  strong  roof,  and 
on  the  lower  side  of  the  slope,  close  to  the  ground, 
an  opening  is  left  large  enough  for  a  turkey  to  pass 
through.     From  this  opening,  and  down  the  hill, 
a  short  trench  is  dug,  and  corn  is  scattered  both  in 
the  pen  and  in  the  trench. 

16.  The  turkeys  are  delighted  to  find  such  rare 
food,  and  doubtless  pass  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the 
kind  hand  that  has  provided  for  them  without 
either  hunting  or  scratching  for  it.     The  greedy 
creatures  follow  the  golden  line  of  corn  until  they 
reach  the  pen,  when  they  stoop  and  enter.     Now, 
finding  themselves  confined,  they  try  to  break  out- 
through  the  'sides  and  roof,  but  never  think  that 
they  can  go  out  as  they  came  in. 


22 


NEIGHBORS   WITH    WINGS  AND  FINX 


CHAPTER   III. 

SCRATCHERS    OF    WOOD    AND    PRAIRIE 

1.  FKOM  the  story  of  the  turkey  we  learn  that 
the  circle  of  our  feathered  friends  extends  far  be- 
yond the  farm-yard  or  meadow.  Away  in  wild 
and  woody  places,  and  over  broad  prairie-lands, 
are  the  partridges,  pheasants,  and  prairie-chickens. 

1® 


The  Prairie-Hen. 

Here  they  live  upon  the  worms  and  bugs  which 
they  scratch  from  the  ground.  Their  right  name, 
so  we  learn  from  those  who  know,  is  grouse. 

2.  The  first  of  these  we  find  in  the  wooded 
country,  and  it  is  the  ruffed  or  ruffled  grouse.  In 
the  Eastern  and  Middle  States  it  is  called  the  par- 
tridge, and  in  the  South  the  pheasant.  Their  flesh 
is  white,  and  excellent  for  the  table.  Scarcely  half 
the  size  of  the  common  hen,  the  ruffed  grouse  is  so 


SCR  AT  G HERS  OF   WOOD  AND  PRAIRIE,         23 

called  on  account  of  a  tuft  of  broad,  soft,  glossy 
black  feathers  which  it  wears  on  either  side  of  its 
neck.  Its  color  is  grayish  brown,  touched  with 
pale  black  spots ;  and  it  wears  a  soft  crest  on  its 
head,  and  behind  it  sweeps  a  broad  fan-tail. 

3.  To  call  or  charm  its  mate,  to  get  up  a  fight 
with  its  rivals,  or  to  express  its  good  feelings,  this 
bird  has  no  sweet  notes,  like  the  song-birds,  but  it 
makes  a  noise  like  the  beating  of  a  drum.     Stand- 
ing on  a  log,  he  throws  his  head  back  like  the  gob- 
bler, spreads  his  tail,  and  flaps  or   vibrates   his 
wings  so  rapidly  that  the  strokes  can  not  be  dis- 
tinguished.    This  drumming   is  sometimes  heard 
at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile. 

4.  The  ruffed  grouse  is  very  affectionate  and 
tender  toward  her  young.     She  makes  her  nest  in 
a  tuft  of  grass,  or  under  a  bush.     Here  she  depos- 
its from  twelve  to  twenty  white  eggs,  each  about 
a  quarter  of  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg.     While  she  is 
sitting,  the  male  stays  about  her  to  keep  her  com- 
pany, and  to  defend  her  against  enemies.     The 
hen  is  so  careful  of  her  nest  that  she  has  sometimes 
allowed  herself  to  be  stroked  by  a  man's  hand 
rather  than  forsake  her  precious  charge. 

5.  And  when  the  little  ones  are  hatched,  the 
mother-grouse   is  wonderfully  watchful  and  cun- 
ning in  her  way  of  protecting  them.     When  sud- 
denly disturbed  by  a  human  being,  she  gives  a 


24  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

scream,  which  scatters  her  chicks,  who  hide  in  the 
grass,  and  keep  so  still  that  it  is  nearly  impossible 
to  find  them.  Then  she  runs  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, leading  the  disturber  to  think  her  young  are 
there ;  and  to  excite  sympathy  she  flutters,  and 
cries,  and  pretends  to  be  lame. 

6.  A  near  relation  of  the  ruffed  grouse  is  the 
pinnated   grouse,  or   the   famous   prairie-chicken. 
Many  years  ago  it  was  found  in  nearly  every  part 
of  the  country,  but  at  the  present  time  its  home  is 
confined  to  the  prairies  of  the  Western  States. 
About  half  the  size  of  the  common  hen,  it  wears  a 
small  crest  on  its  head,  a  tuft  of  long  feathers  on 
each  side  of  its  neck,  runs  on  a  pair  of  feathered 
legs,  and  feeds  upon  berries,  insects,  and  grain. 
Its  flesh  is  dark  and  much  prized  for  food. 

7.  Spring-time  is  a  season  of  great  excitement 
in  the  community  of  prairie-hens.      Early  every 
morning    the    cocks    fly    to  a  battle-ground,   or 
"  scratching  -ground,"  as  it  is  called,  where  about 
twenty  of  them  assemble.     Then  they  inflate  the 
yellow  sacs  that  stand  out  on  either  side  of  the 
neck,  and  drum  with  their  wings  more  loudly  even 
than  do  the  ruffed  grouse. 

8.  The  hens  quietly  gather  about  the  edges  of 
the  ring  when  the  flght  commences.     With  tails 
erect  and  heads  thrown  back,  and  wings  dragging 
on  the  ground,  the  cocks  strut  about  like  turkey- 


SCRATCHERS  OF  WOOD  AND  PRAIRIE. 


25 


gobblers.  Then  they  close  in  mortal  combat.  They 
rise  in  the  air  and  strike  each  other,  until  the  vic- 
tor drives  his  antagonist  from  the  field. 

9.  In  her  nest  on  the  ground  the  prairie-hen 
lays  ten  or  twelve 

brown  eggs.  Af- 
ter eighteen  or 
nineteen  days  of 
sitting,  she  brings 
out  her  brood. 
The  young  are 
protected  by  her 
alone.  Whenever 
they  are  surprised 
by  an  enemy,  slie 
utters  a  cry  of 
alarm,  when  they  Cocl  °f the  Plaim- 

scatter  and  scamper,  and  hide  among  the  grass  and 
brush.  Then  the  mother,  like  the  ruffled  grouse, 
flutters  and  limps  and  rolls,  that  she  may  deceive 
and  arouse  sympathy. 

10.  The  largest  of  American  grouse  is  tlie  sage- 
hen,  or  the   "Cock  of   the   Plains."     The   broad 
plains  of  the  far  West,  reaching  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  the  Columbia  River,  are  its  native 
home.     It  is  nearly  two  and  a  half  feet  in  length, 
about  the  siz£  of  a  hen-turkey,  and  is  covered  with 
handsome  gray  and  black  plumage.     A  curious 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


fact  about  this  bird  is  that  it  has  no  gizzard.  The 
sage-cock,  like  the  pinnated  grouse,  has  enormous 
sacs  on  the  sides  of  its  neck.  These  sacs  are  filled 

with  air  when  he  raises  his 
tail,  lowers  his  wings,  and 
struts  like  a  turkey. 

11.  We  come  home  to 
our  own  little  quail,  or 
American  partridge.  Its  red- 
dish-brown feathers,  lined 
with  black  and  yellow,  the 
white  throat,  and  black 
stripes  on  the  head  of  the 
male,  and  the  buif  throat 
and  modest  brown  head  of 
the  female,  we  all  know. 
The  size  of  the  bird,  too,  we  know — so  many  times, 
in  the  early  part  of  the  season,  have  we  seen  the 
male  perched  on  the  fence,  and  heard  his  clear, 
sharp,  musical  whistle,  "  Bob  White  ! "  ring  out 
upon  the  summer  air,  to  attract  the  attention  of 
his  pretty  mate. 

12.  If  you  listen  carefully,  you  will  detect  in 
his  whistle  one  soft  note,  and  two  strong  or  loud 
ones.  Hence,  Audubon  has  said  his  call  consists 
of  three  syllables,  and  that  he  sings,  "  Ah  !  Bob  ! 
White  ! "  The  hen  deposits  in  her  nest,  under  a 
low  bush,  as  many  as  twenty  pure -white  eggs. 


American  Quail. 


SCRATCHERS   OF   WOOD  AND  PRAIRIE.          27 

The  cock  relieves  her  in  the  task  of  hatching ;  and 
this  is  a  reason  why  his  plumage  is  not  so  gaudy 
as  that  of  some  male  birds — that  he  may  not  at- 
tract attention  to  the  place  of  the  nest. 

13.  The  young  scud  away  almost  as  soon  as 
they  are  out  of  the  shell.     Both  parents  protect 
and  brood  them.     When  they  are  frightened,  they 
will  hide  under  the  feet  of  the  intruder,  and  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  find  them.     They  feed  upon 
berries,  grain,  and  insects ;  roaming  over  the  fields 
of  the  farm  and  catching  the  insect  enemies  of  the 
farmer's  crops. 

14.  When  a  covey  goes  to  sleep  at  night,  the 
birds  form  a  large  circle,  with  their  tails  toward 
the  center — each  standing  some  distance  from  the 
others.     Then  they  move  back  toward  the  center, 
until  they  are  close  to  each  other.     Now  they  are 
prepared  to  watch  danger  on  all  sides. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
SCRATCHERS    OF    OTHER    LANDS. 

"  See  !  from  the  brake  the  whirring  pheasant  springs, 
And  mounts  exulting  on  triumphant  wings." 

1.  NEXT  to  the  peacock  the  golden  pheasant 
ranks  as  the  most  beautiful  domestic  bird.      Its 


28  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

original  home  is  in  Asia,  from  which  country  come 
so  many  sunny,  golden  things.  The  ancient  Gre- 
cian poets  tell  a  story  of  a  hero  called  Jason,  who 
was  promised  a  kingdom  and  a  crown  if  he  would 
bring  a  golden  fleece  from  a  place  away  on  the 
coast  of  the  Black  Sea.  So  he  sailed  in  his  ship 
Argo  with  fifty  comrades  and  captured  the  prize. 
Near  where  he  found  the  golden  fleece,  at  a  river 
called  Phasis,  some  of  his  companions  found  the 
golden  pheasant,  and  they  brought  it  back  to 
Greece.  From  this  beginning,  it  is  supposed,  the 
pheasant  has  spread  over  a  large  part  of  Europe. 

2.  With  a  small  body,  about  the  size  of  a  half- 
grown  chicken,  the  principal  part  of  the  golden 
pheasant  appears  to  be  its  splendid  clothes.     Like 
an  Eastern  king,  it  is  arrayed  in  purple  and  gold. 
Upon  its  head  is  a  bright  golden  crest,  in  which 
each  feather  is  tinged  with  velvety  black.     The 
plumage  on  its  breast,  shoulders,  and  sides  is  pur- 
ple or  dark  blue,  with  streaks  of  gold.     The  long 
feathers  are  red,  with  eyes  of  golden  yellow.     Its 
tail  is  nearly  two  feet  in  length,  and  its  movement 
is  soft  and  graceful. 

3.  The  daily  life  of  this  bird  is  much  like  that 
of  the  grouse.     It  loves  the  tangled  wood,  where 
it  picks  and  scratches  for  insects.    The  mother-bird 
is  careless  about  her  nest  and  her  young.     Some- 
times  she   crushes   and  eats  her  own  eggs,  and 


SCRATCEER8   OF  OTHER  LANDS. 


29 


another  hen  must  be  borrowed  to  hatch  and  brood 
the  chicks.  The  hen-pheasant,  though  clothed  in 
a  more  sober  dress  than  that  of  her  mate,  when  she 


The  Argus  Pheasant. 


has  grown  too  old  to  lay  eggs,  changes  her  plu- 
mage and  becomes  gorgeous  like  him. 

4.  Even  more  showy  than  the  golden  pheasant 
is  the  Argus  pheasant.  Its  colors  are  not  so  brill- 
iant, but  they  are  more  delicately  marked.  The 


30  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

head  is  deep  black,  and  the  feathers  of  the  rest  of 
the  body  are  variegated  with  different  shades  of 
yellow,  brown,  red,  and  gray.  The  wings  are  large 
and  broad,  like  fans,  and  are  adorned  with  covers 
of  mixed  brown,  red,  and  yellow,  and  are  dotted 
over  with  large,  shining  round  spots  or  eyes. 
Among  the  fabled  characters  of  the  ancient  Greeks 
Argus  was  famous  for  his  hundred  eyes.  The 
Argus  pheasant  is  so  called  because  of  the  multi- 
tude of  eyes  on  its  wings. 

5.  In  ancient  times,  when  Croesus,  the  richest 
king,  was  seated  on  his  throne  in  royal  robes,  and 
in  great  pomp,  he  asked  Solon,  the  wise  man  of 
Greece,  if  he  had  ever  seen  anything  so  fine.    Solon 
replied  that,  having  seen  the  beautiful  plumage  of 
the  pheasant,  he  could  not  be  surprised  by  any 
other  splendor  that  might  be  presented  to  him. 

6.  Among  the  scratchers  of  other  lands  the 
mound-bird  is  the  most  remarkable.    A  small  bird, 
about  the  size  of  a  female  pheasant,  it  is  modest 
and  shy  in  its  dress  of  sober  brown  and  red.     The 
story  of  its  work  would  read  like  a  fable  were  we 
not  obliged  to  believe  the  reports  of  truthful  men. 
Weighing   scarcely  more   than   two  pounds,  the 
mound-bird  builds  by  the  sea-side  in  Australia  its 
home,  a  hill  ten  feet  high  and  sixty  feet  in  circum- 
ference at  the  base. 

7.  How  the  mound-bird  raises  so  large  a  hill  is 


SCRATCHERS  OF  OTHER  LANDS. 


31 


not  certainly  known.  Its  feet,  which  are  immense 
for  so  small  a  bird,  are  evidently  intended  for 
heavier  work  than  scratching ;  and  it  has  been  seen 
hopping  along  on  one  foot,  while  in  the  other  claw 


Brush- Turkeys  and  their  Egg-Mounds. 

it  carried  a  large  bunch  of  grass.  It  seems  as  if  a 
single  pair  or  generation  of  these  birds  could  not 
possibly  perform  so  great  a  task. 

8.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  this  mound  is  the 
bird's  nest.  In  the  top  a  hole  is  made  which  is 
packed  with  grass  and  leaves,  mixed  with  earth. 
Here  are  laid  eight  large  white  eggs,  which  are  set 


32 


NEIGHBORS   WITH    WINGS  AND  FINS. 


on  end  and  left  to  be  warmed  by  the  heat  that 
comes  from  the  decay  of  the  litter  of  which  the 
nest  is  made.  Only  the  male  bird  is  sent  occa- 


The  Lyre-Bird. 

sionally  to  open  the  nest  and  stir  the  litter,  so  as 
to  let  in  the  air  and  regulate  the  heat.  Wonder- 
ful bird ! 

9.  At  the  proper  period  the  young  birds  are 


A  SENSITIVE  SPIRIT.  33 

hatched.  Not  with  soft  down  and  tender  skin, 
like  other  youngsters  of  the  bird  kind,  but  full- 
feathered  and  strong.  And  out  of  this  temple  of 
their  nativity  they  find  their  way  to  the  light ;  and, 
having  dried  themselves  in  the  sun,  they  enter 
upon  life's  duties  and  sports  without  help. 

10.  You  can  see  how  the  lyre-bird  of  Australia 
gets  its  name.  The  music  of  the  bird  is  not  in  its 
throat,  but  in  the  form  of  its  tail,  which  is  that 
of  a  musical  instrument  called  the  lyre.  Though 
beautiful,  the  lyre-bird  is  not  proud,  but  shy  and 
retiring,  and  exceedingly  swift  of  foot.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  capture  or  even  to  get  sight  of  it.  Some- 
times it  is  decoyed  by  the  hunter,  who,  among  the 
bushes,  wears  one  of  the  beautiful  tails  on  his  hat. 


CHAPTER   V. 
A   SENSITIVE    SPIRIT. 

1.  MRS.  BLACK   SPANISH   laid   four   beautiful 
white  eggs,  from  which,  after  much  tedious  and 
anxious  sitting,  were  hatched  four  downy  little 
chicks,  that  followed  their  mother  about  the  yard, 
crying  "  Peep,  peep,"  in  a  way  delightful  to  hear. 

2.  Mrs.  Black  Spanish  was  very  proud  of  her 
great -great -grandmother,  and  very  proud  of  her 


34  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

children,  and  very  proud  of  herself,  and  of  every- 
thing belonging  to  her.  And  when  she  strutted 
through  the  hen-yard  with  her  little  brood,  calling 
"  Kut,  kut,  kut,  kut,  ka-da,  kut !  "  which  is  black 
Spanish  for  "  Did  you  ever  see  such  chick-ens  ? " 
she  was  quite  a  sight  to  see,  and  excited  great  ad- 
miration and  respect  in  all  fowls.  Even  the  white 
bantams  courtesied,  and  nothing  could  exceed  the 
politeness  of  the  old  speckled  hens. 

3.  The   only  rooster   among   the   new-comers 
seemed  to  have  a  feeble  constitution.    His  feathers 
were  few  and  scattering,  his  blue  legs  were  so  small 
and  weak  they  almost  doubled  up  when   he  at- 
tempted to  walk,  and  he  was  very  cross  and  snap- 
pish. 

4.  Dr.  Gander  put  on  his  eyeglasses  and  took 
a  good  look  at  him,  when  Mrs.  Black  Spanish 
brought  her  family  near  the  goose-pen. 

5.  "  Good  -  day,    madam,"    called    the   doctor 
through  the  fence.    "  I'm  glad  to  see  you  out  again. 
I  hope  you  and  your  interesting  family  are  well." 

6.  u  Quite  well,"  said  Mrs.  Black  Spanish,  with 
a  lofty  bow. 

7.  "  And  that  small  young  one,"  said  the  doc- 
tor, nodding  his  bill  toward  the  knock-kneed  little 
rooster,  u  how  is  he  ?     He  appears  to  be  a  trifle 
weak  about  the  legs.     Some  nobum-bobum  oint- 
ment, now,  well  rubbed  in  at  night — might — " 


A  SENSITIVE  SPIRIT.  35 

8.  "My  son  is  quite  well,"  snapped  Mrs.  Black 
Spanish,  ruffling  her  feathers.     "  He  has  a  delicate 
frame  and  a  sensitive  spirit.     Our  family  all  have 
sensitive  spirits." 

9.  "  Just  what  I  was  going  to  say,  ma'am,  when 
you  anticipated  me,"  said  Dr.  Gander,  politely. 

10.  Mrs.  Black  Spanish  walked  away  to  call 
upon  her  own  physician,  Dr.  Peacock,  who  was  not 
only  very  learned,  but  was  also  a  great  beau  and  a 
favorite  with  the  ladies. 

11.  "I've  come  to  show  you  my  family,  Dr. 
Peacock,"  said  she,  graciously.     "  Jacob,  my  son, 
you  see,  is  like  my  family,  delicate,  and  of  a  sen- 
sitive spirit." 

12.  "Ah,  yes,  ah,"  said  the  doctor,  in  a  high 
falsetto  voice ;  and  as  Jacob  knocked  down  two  of 
his  little  sisters,  and  snatched  up  the  worms  they 
had  just  scratched  out  of  the  earth,  he  continued : 
"Ah,  yes,  ah  —  I  see,  of  a  very  sensitive  spirit. 
He'll  be  a  credit  to  you,  my  lovely  Mrs,  Black 
Spanish,  take  my  word  for  it." 

13.  The  older  Master  Jacob  grew,  the  more 
greedy  and  hateful  he  became ;  but,  partly  be- 
cause he  pecked  on  the  head  every  one  that  op- 
posed his  wishes,  and   partly  because  his  proud 
mamma  talked   so   much   about   it,  his  sensitive 
spirit  became  the   reason  and   excuse   for  every 
disagreeable  thing  he  did. 


36  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

14.  He  was  always  bragging   about  himself, 
and  nearly  every  evening  he  entertained  the  hen- 
house with  tales  of  what  he  could  do — if  certain 
things  should  happen. 

15.  One  day  in  spring,  when  the  air  was  so 
warm  that  the  violets   and  squirrel-corn  were  in 
blossom  in  the  woods,  there  were  six  young  fami- 
lies in  the  hen-yard ;  forty  tiny  fellow-chicks  stroll- 
ing about  on  eighty  little  yellow  legs. 

16.  There  was  a  great  clatter  and  chatter,  and 
the  warm,  moist  earth  was  scratched  up  in  all  direc- 
tions.   Everybody  but  Jacob  was  so  busy  with  bill 
and  claws  that  nobody  else  saw  a  black  speck  sail- 
ing, with  long,  slim  wing,  round  and  round,  far 
above  them,  in  the  blue  sky. 

17.  Jacob  slowly  wandered  into  the  barn.  Next 
he  hopped  upon  a  manger,  and  thence  into  the 
hay-loft.     "  I  need  to  meditate  in  a  quiet  spot,"  he 
said  to  himself.     "  Undoubtedly  that  hawk  will 
swoop  down  soon,  and  a  rooster  of  my  brave,  sen- 
sitive spirit  needs  to  be  prepared." 

18.  In  a  moment  more  there  was  a  great  clamor 
in  the  hen-yard.     The  hens  squalled,  the  roosters 
shrieked,  and  the  farmer's  boy  bawled  at  the  top 
of  his  lungs. 

19.  "It's  very  lucky  I  came  up  here  when  I 
did,"  thought  Jacob.     "  My  nerves  could  not  have 
endured  that  noise.     Ugh !  what  a  racket ! "     As 


A  SENSITIVE  SPIRIT.  37 

soon  as  he  thought  it  safe,  he  flew  down  from  his 
perch  and  called  out : 

"  I've  scared  the  hawk  away  ! 

Just  see  what  I  can  do  ! 

Oh,  cock-a-doodle-do  ! " 

20.  All  the  hens  and  most  of  the  little  chickens 
crept  out  from  their  hiding-places  at  the  sound  of 
his  voice,  and  ran  up  to  him,  clucking  and  peeping 
for  joy,  when  the   farmer's   boy,  who   had  been 
ordered  to  kill  a  chicken  for  dinner,  reached  his 
pitchfork  over  the  fence,  and '  hit  Jacob  such  a 
crack  on  the  head  that  he  never  breathed  again. 
"  Take  that,  old  strutter ! "  said  the  farmer's  boy ; 
"  you'll  do  for  a  pot-pie,  and  you  are  useless  for 
anything  else."     But  at  dinner  he  discovered  that 
Jacob,  though  fat  and  plump,  was  not  even  fit  for 
a  pot-pie.     "  The  hawk  could  not  have  killed  him, 
mother,"  said  the  boy,  as  he  struggled  with  one 
of  the  legs.     "  I  think  he  must  have  been  hatched 
from  an  India-rubber  ball." 

21.  The  hens  lamented  all  that  day  over  Jacob's 
death.     "  He  was  our  deliverer ;  he  saved  us  from 
the  hawk,"  they  cried.     "  We  shall  never  see  an- 
other like  him,  who  was  so  brave  and  tender,  and 
of  so  gallant  and  sensitive  a  spirit." 

22.  Old  High-Biddy  Martin,  who  was  one  of 
the  speckled  hens,  and  had  a  red  rag  tied  to  her 
tail  for  trying  to  crow,  laughed,  for,  though  she 


38  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

had  flown  at  the  hawk  and  scared  him  from  her 
chicks,  she  was  cool  enough  to  see  and  remember 
Jacob's  retreat  to  the  barn,  and  his  return  to  the 
yard  when  the  danger  was  past.  But  no  one 
minded  what  she  did  or  said,  for  she  was  not 
related  to  any  of  the  first  families,  and  so  was  of 
no  possible  account. 


CHAPTER   VI. 
LONG    LEGS    FOR   WADING. 

1.  IN  the  fall  a  great  many  people  pack  their 
trunks  and  follow  the  birds  in  their  flight  south- 
ward.    They  find  a  resting-place  in  Florida,  where 
the  air  is  so  mild  that  they  can  live  in  tents  all  the 
year  round. 

2.  While  their  Northern   friends  are  wading 
through  snow,  or  shivering  round  the  fire,  they  are 
breathing  the  perfumed  air  of  the  pine- woods,  or 
rambling  through  orange-groves,  where  the  trees 
are  ablaze  with  golden  fruit. 

3.  If  we  were  among  those  who  could  go 

"  Where  no  winter  our  footsteps  can  wrong, 
Where  flowers  are  blossoming  all  the  year  long, 
Where  the  shade  of  the  palm-tree  is  over  our  home, 
And  the  orange  and  lemon  are  white  in  the  bloom," 


LONG  LEGS  FOR    WADING.  39 

before  returning  we  would  like  to  see  some  of  the 
curious  things  which  Florida  keeps  in  store  for 
us. 

4.  Some  fine  morning  our  party  sets  off  for  the 
shore,  perhaps  two  or  three  days  away.     Our  rail- 
way is  a  winding  path  through  the  pine  and  pal- 
metto woods,  our  car  is  a  rickety  old  wagon  which 
Ponce  de  Leon  might  have  used,  and  our  engine  is 
a  pair  of  mules. 

5.  We  jolt  along  over  roads  rough  with  pal- 
metto-roots, but  shaded  by  the  umbrella-tops  of 
the  trees.     Our  hunters  find  plenty  of  game,  and, 
while  camping  at  noon  or  night  beside  some  spring, 
we  have  a  royal  feast  of  quail  or  wild-turkey.     If 
we  tire  of  this  diet,  we  can  have  venison  or  bear- 
meat  for  the  asking. 

6.  Our  journey  ends  on  the  banks  of  a  body 
of  water,  made  up  of  about  equal  parts  of  bay, 
swamp,    and    river.      A    sluggish    stream    oozes 
through  the  marshes,  and   enters  the  bay  a  few 
miles  west.     A  long  line  of  little  islands  or  reefs 
separates  the  bay  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  just 
beyond. 

7.  Here  we  pitch  our  tent  at  nightfall.     Wea- 
ried with  our  journey,  we  prepare  for  rest.     But 
the  twilight  is  full  of  strange  music.     All  around 
us  is  heard  the  "chuck- will's- widow"  in  the  place 
of  the   "  whip-poor-will "  of  our  Northern  homes. 


4:0  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

From  the  water  near  by  comes  up  the  cry  of  the 
loon,  and  from  the  reefs  that  lie  farther  off  come 
the  screams  of  multitudes  of  sea-birds  blended  by 
the  distance,  so  that  the  sound  is  like  the  rush  of 
a  far-off  train  of  cars. 

8.  Lulled  by  the  evening  concert,  we  drop  to 
sleep,  and  the  music  passes  into  our  dreams.     At 


The  Spoonbill. 

daybreak  we  are  called  back  to  life  by  a  delightful 
morning  carol.  The  melody  of  the  Carolina  wren 
floats  down  from  the  tree-tops  in  sweet  little  war- 
bles and  snatches  of  song ;  and  the  mocking-bird 
fills  the  air  with  his  cat-like  cries  and  imitations  of 
all  the  other  birds  of  the  forest 


LONG  LEGS  FOR    WADING.  41 

9.  With,   the  day  our  new  school  opens,  and 
study  begins — the  study  of  that  grand  old  book 
of  Nature.     But  we  must  move  with  care.     Many 
birds,  who   do   not   decline   to   show  themselves 
"dressed  in  their  Sunday's  best/'  are  shy  about  ex- 
posing the  secrets  of  their  homes  and  house-keep- 
ing to  strangers. 

10.  Into  a  thicket  near  by  and  lonely  we  creep, 
and   sit   perfectly  still.      By-and-by,  through  the 
leaves,  black  specks  appear  in  the  sky.     Down 
they  come,  nearer  and  nearer,  till  the  shadow  of 
wide-spreading  wings  is  clearly  reflected   in   the 
water.     Then  slowly,  with  fluttering  and  flapping, 
great  white  herons  descend  in  flocks  upon   the 
shore. 

11.  At  a  little  distance  their  long  legs  can  not 
be  seen,  and  their  white  bodies  seem  to  float  in  the 
air  a  few  feet  above  the  earth.     Soon  they  move 
in  companies  into  the  shallow  water,  where  they 
stand  half-leg  deep.     Their  long  necks  are  drawn 
back  into  their  bodies,  so  as  to  balance  the  sharp 
and  heavy  bills.     So  still  do  they  stand  that  we 
begin  to  think  they  have  gone  to  sleep,  when, 
quick  as  a  flash,  a  neck  is  darted  down  and  the  bill 
grasps  some  unlucky  frog,  or  fish,  or  young  alliga- 
tor which  conies  in  the  way. 

12.  Should  the  prey  be  small  enough,  it  is  swal- 
lowed at  once ;  but,  should  it  be  large  and  inclined 


4:2 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


to  fight  for  its  life,  the  huge  bill  closes  upon  it  like 
a  vise,  and  the  bird  flies  to  some  neighboring  tree, 
where  it  can  have  its  fight  and  dinner  undisturbed. 


The  Gray  Heron. 

Eels  and  young  alligators  it  beats  to  death  by  re- 
peated blows  of  its  bill. 

13.  If  other  food  fails,  the  heron  stamps  upon 
the  soft  mud,  and  eats  such  worms  and  bugs  as 
are  pounded  out  from  beneath.  When  its  appe- 
tite is  satisfied,  it  goes  to  some  quiet  spot  on  the 


LONG  LEGS  FOB   WADING.  43 

land,  and  stands  upon  one  leg  and  sleeps  for  many 
hours. 

14.  In    some   seasons  of   the   year,  from   our 
hiding-place  we  can  see  flocks  of  flamingoes,  with 
their  scarlet  coats,  floating  in  the  air,  like  rosy 
clouds.     Or  they  are  fishing  in  the  water,  their 
tinted  bodies  in  fine  contrast  with  the  pure  white 
of  the  heron.     These  birds  are  also  waders,  but 
their  legs  are  longer  and  smaller,  and  their  bodies 
are  more  graceful,  than  those  of  the  herons. 

15.  We   may   observe    the    heron    and   other 
waders,   however,   without   taking   a   journey  to 
Florida.     The  great  blue  heron  is  found  in  the  re- 
gions of  the  lakes  and  swamps  all  over  the  United 
States,     Its  habits  are  very  much  like  those  of  the 
white  heron. 

16.  In  the  breeding-season  the  herons  collect 
in  great  numbers  in  some  lone  swamp,  where  the 
ground  is  covered  with  old  logs  and  brush,  and 
tall,  half-decayed  cedar-trees  rise  out  of  the  mud 
and  water.     In  the  tops  of  these  trees  they  build 
rude  nests  from  a  few  sticks,  and  here  the  young 
birds  are  hatched  and  reared. 

17.  The  sacred  ibis  is  a  wading-bird,  about  the 
size  of  a  common  barn-yard  fowl.   Its  bill  is  curved 
downward  in  a  curious  way.     Its  home  is  in  North- 
ern Africa.     The  Egyptians  worshiped  the  ibis  as 
a   sacred   bird,   it  is  said,  because  it  cleared  the 


44  NEIGHBORS  WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

country  of  venomous  serpents.     An  ibis  similar  to 
the  sacred  ibis  is  found  in  our 
Southern  States. 

18.    The    spoonbill    is    a 
near  kin   to   the  heron.     Its 
bill  is  so   wide   that   it 
can  scoop  up  its 
prey.     Like  the 
heron,  it  fishes ; 
and,    like    the 
duck,  it  searches 
for  worms  in  the 
mud.      The  first 
year  its  color  is 
a  dark  chestnut, 
the  second  year 

it  changes  to  a  roseate  hue,  and  the  third  year  to  a 
bright  scarlet. 


TI*  sacred 


CHAPTER    VII. 

BEACH-WALKERS. 

1.  A  SMALL  boy,  perched  upon  a  pair  of  stilts 
that  add  two  feet  to  the  length  of  his  legs,  pre- 
sents an  odd  and  ridiculous  figure.  But  here  is 
the  stilt-bird,  no  bigger  than  a  pigeon,  mounted  on 
a  pair  of  bright-red  legs  two  feet  high.  And  these 


BE  A  CH-  WALKERS. 


pipe-stem  legs  are  not  thus  out  of  proportion  to 
the  small  body  simply  to  make  us  laugh;  they 
are  for  use  and  business. 


The  Stilt. 


2.  The  stilt-bird  gets  his  living  by  his  long  legs 
and  his  long,  straight,  sharp  bill.  In  the  mud 
at  the  bottom  of  sea-marshes  and  ponds,  and 
even  in  the  fresh  water  of  the  interior,  lies  his 
food,  in  the  shape  of  worms,  insect-eggs,  and 
small  shell-fish.  He  also  catches  the  flies  and 


4:6  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

beetles  that  dance  and  play  on  the  surface  of  the 
water 

3.  At  the  top  of  these  long  legs,  which  are 
without  the  hind-toe,  there  is  a  very  pretty  bird- 
slender,  with  long,  pointed  wings,  greenish-black 
back,  and  white   breast.    One  who  has    watched 
the  stilt-birds  in  their  wild  home  describes  them 
thus: 

4.  "  The  birds  had  observed  me,  of  course,  as 
the  grass  was  only  a  few  inches  high  and  the  ground 
perfectly  flat,  but  they  stood  motionless,  looking 
with  more  curiosity  than  fear.     It  was  a  pictur- 
esque group ;  still  as  statues  the  birds  stood  in  the 
water,  raised  only  a  little  above  it  on  their  firm 
though   so    slender    supports,   their   trim   bodies 
drawn  up  to  full  height,  and  their  large,  soft  eyes 
dilated  in  wonder.      In  an  instant,  however,   as 
if  they  had  but  one  mind  in  common,  a  thought 
occurred,  and,  quick   as  the  thought,  they  were 
off." 

5.  Upon  a  much  shorter  pair  of  stilts  come  the 
common  snipes,  brown  and  white,  and  about  the 
size  of  a  newly  hatched  chick,  tripping  over  our 
low  meadows  in  the  early  spring.    A  bill,  two  and 
a  half  inches  long,  with  sensitive  nerves  running 
down  to  its  tip,  enables  them  to  feel  their  food  as 
they  bore  into  the  soft  ground.     These  birds  are 
hunted  for  the  excellence  of  their  flesh. 


BEACH-WALKERS 


6.  The  ruff  is  another  stilt- walker.  It  is  found 
in  the  temperate  portions  of  Europe  and  America. 
About  the  size  of  a  large  snipe,  the  female  wears 


The  Curlew. 

a  sober  brown  dress,  while  the  male  carries  a  large 
ruff  of  thick,  long  feathers  about  his  neck,  and 
changes  his  robes  once  each  year,  putting  on  a 
great  variety  of  fine  colors. 

7.  The  lapwing,  another  long-legged  lover  of 
wet-ground  food,  is  not  found  in  America,  but 
makes  for  itself  a  happy  home  in  Europe.  In 
size  and  habits  it  is  much  like  the  snipe,  but  has 
a  shorter  bill,  and  a  tall  crest  of  feathers  upon  its 
head.  Its  voice  is  loud  and  piercing.  And  this 
is  the  way  the  poet  sings  of  it : 


48  NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

"  Thou  dove,  whose  soft  echoes  resound  from  the  hill, 
Thou  green-crested  lapwing  with  noise  loud  and  shrill, 
Ye  wild  whistling  warblers,  your  music  forbear, 
I  charge  you,  disturb  not  my  slumbering  fair." 

8.  With  a  clear,  mellow,  piping  voice  the  sand- 
piper divides  the  coasts  and  the  wet  grounds  with 
his  cousin  the  snipe.  In  large  families  the  sand- 
pipers come  and  go  with  the  changing  seasons. 
Their  movements  are  graceful,  whether  they  swim 
in  the  water,  or  trip  lightly  on  their  toes  over  the 
moist  ground,  or  make  a  voyage  in  the  air  on  their 
wings.  There  are  more  than  twenty  varieties  of 
them,  from  the  ash-colored  sandpiper,  which  is  ten 
inches  long,  to  the  little  "  tip-up,"  brown  and  happy, 
that  measures  but  five  inches. 

THE   SANDPIPER. 

9.  Across  the  narrow  beach  we  flit, 
One  little  sandpiper  and  I, 

And  fast  I  gather,  bit  by  bit, 

The  scattered  drift-wood,  bleached  and  dry 

The  wild  waves  reach  their  hands  for  it, 
The  wild  wind  raves,  the  tide  runs  high, 

As  up  and  down  the  beach  we  flit- 
One  little  sandpiper  and  I. 

10.  Above  our  heads  the  sullen  clouds 

Scud,  black  and  swift,  across  the  sky; 


BE  A  CH-  WALKERS.  49 

Like  silent  ghosts  in  misty  shrouds 
Stand  out  the  white  lighthouses  high. 

Almost  as  far  as  eye  can  reach 
I  see  the  close-reefed  vessels  fly, 

As  fast  we  flit  along  the  beach — 
One  little  sandpiper  and  I. 

11,  I  watch  him  as  he  skims  along, 

Uttering  his  sweet  and  mournful  cry ; 

He  starts  not  at  my  fitful  song, 
Or  flash  of  fluttering  drapery. 

He  has  no  thought  of  any  wrong ; 
He  scans  me  with  a  fearless  eye : 

Stanch  friends  are  we,  well  tried  and  strong—- 
The little  sandpiper  and  I. 

12.  Comrade,  where  wilt  thou  be  to-night, 

When  the  loosed  storm  breaks  furiously  ? 
My  drift-wood  fire  will  burn  so  bright ! 

To  what  warm  shelter  canst  thou  fly? 
I  do  not  fear  for  thee,  though  wroth 

The  tempest  rushes  through  the  sky, 
For  are  we  not  God's  children  both — 

Thou,  little  sandpiper,  and  I  ? 

Celia  Thaxie* 


50  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 
FEATHERED    MARSH-DWELLERS. 

1.  HIGH,  veiy  high  up  in  the  air  we  have  some- 
times seen  passing  over  us  a  large  flock  of  white  or 
brown  birds,  with  long  necks  stretching  out  before 
them,  and  longer  legs  dragging  behind.     At  so 
great  a  distance  they  appear  small,  but  their  loud 
trumpet-voices  tell  us  they  must  be  quite  large. 
They  may  be  herons,  but  from  the  noise  we  con- 
clude they  are  cranes. 

2.  There   are  fifty  or  perhaps  a  hundred  of 
them,  and  they  move  in  the  form  of  a  wedge  or  a 
triangle.     In  this  way  they  fly  that  they  may  more 
easily  cleave  the  air.     The  foremost  bird  in  the 
procession  has  the  hardest  work  to  do ;  so,  as  they 
move  forward  at  great  speed,  each  member  of  the 
flock  takes  its  turn  at  being  leader. 

3.  In  general  form  like  herons,  the  cranes  are 
usually  the  larger  of  the  two.     Their  feathers  are 
more  compact,  and  their  necks  are  not  quite  so 
smooth  and  graceful.     Some  of  the  white  or  whoop- 
ing cranes  are  of  immense  size,  and  stand  as  high  as 
a  man's  breast.    At  the  far  West  one  has  sometimes 
been  mistaken  for  an  antelope  or  a  buffalo.     And 
such  coarse,  piping  voices !  no  wonder  that  they 
can  be  heard  for  miles,  for  the  whooping-crane 


FEATHERED  MARSH-DWELLERS. 


• 


51 


plays  upon  a  windpipe  nearly  five  feet  long,  about 
half  of  it  coiled  up  in  his  breast  like  a  French  horn. 

4.  Strange  birds  and  very  shy  are  these  cranes. 
They  love  the  vast  marshes  and  the  tall  cane-brake ; 
the  long  sand-bars  of  the  great  river,  where  they 
can  not  be  surprised ;  or  the  deep  gorges  of  the 
mountains,  where 

human  feet  rare-  i? 

£'*  -  '.'.•' T *....••-  • 

ly  tread.     When 

feeding  or  resting, 
they  place  one  of 
their  number  as 
sentinel  to  watch 
for  approaching 
danger. 

5.  And  when 
danger  comes,  the 

Sentinel     gives     a  The  American  Crane. 

whoop,    and    up 

they  all  rise  upon  their  great  white  wings.  The 
male  is  kind  and  attentive  while  his  mate  hatches 
her  two  eggs  and  broods  her  young.  Though  they 
seem  so  wild  and  shy,  they  have  sometimes  been 
tamed,  running  with  other  fowls,  or  herding  with 
the  cattle. 

6.  Nor  are  cranes  so  sober  and  gloomy  as  the 
dreary  scenes  of  their  life  would  seem  to  make 
them.    Indeed,  they  are  jolly  fellows  among  them- 


52 


NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


selves.  From  them  the  Greeks  derived  one  of 
their  favorite  dances.  In  a  solemn  and  stately 
manner  they  will  advance  toward  one  another  in 
long  rows  or  processions,  make  some  kind  of  a 

salutation,  and 
then  sudden- 
ly break  into 
a  ludicrous 
dance,  swing- 
ing their  legs 
about,  bowing 
their  heads, 
flapping  their 
wings,  and  al- 
most turning 
somersaults. 
7.  A  very 

The  Marsh  Hen.  Small     SWamp- 

dweller,      not 

larger  than  a  quail,  is  the  coot.  It  has  a  large, 
strong  bill  and  exceedingly  long  toes,  which  ena- 
ble it  with  ease  to  run  over  floating  branches  and 
leaves.  It  seems  to  be  about  half  hen  and  half 
duck. 

8.  The  claws  of  the  coot  are  not  webbed  like 
those  of  the  duck,  but  they  have  a  membrane  on 
the  sides  of  the  toes  which  acts  as  a  paddle.  Then 
its  bluish-gray  feathers  are  close  and  tight,  like  the 


FEATHERED  MARSH-DWELLERS.  53 

coat  of  the  duck.  Nimble  on  foot  and  wing,  like 
the  scratcher,  the  coot  takes  to  the  water  like  the 
duck.  It  hates  the  light  and  sunshine,  and  steals 
out  in  the  dusk  to  gather  its  food.  The  rail  is  a 
little  swamp-dweller,  much  like  its  cousin  the  coot, 
and  in  appearance  quite  like  a  quail. 

9.  The   marsh-hen   of   the    sea-coast    has    the 
air  and  appearance  of   a  true  hen.     Of  a  pretty 
olive-brown  and  white  color,  she  is  bright  and  act- 
ive ;  can  run  swifter  than  a  man,  and  can  dive  as 
well  as  a  duck.    Although  a  constantly  wet  hen,  she 
never  loses  her  temper.     If  the  flood  sweeps  away 
her  nest,  she  builds  another,  and  in  the  warm  days 
of  the  spring  she  furnishes  delicious  eggs  for  lucky 
hunters.     This  little  wild  hen  has  sometimes  been 
tamed,  and  in  England  it  is  often  found  with  tame 
poultry. 

10.  The  woodcock  is  a  very  pretty  bird  to  look 
at,  and  furnishes  a  pleasant  attraction  to  the  table 
when  it  has  made  the  proper  acquaintance  with 
the  fire.     It  has  much  the  appearance  of  the  snipe, 
but   is   larger   and    fairer   in   form   and    feather. 
Around   the   edges   of  the   low   ground   or    the 
swamp,  where  there  are  trees   for   shade,  is   its 
chosen  place  for  play  and  work. 

11.  The  woodcock  has  a  bright,  large  eye,  but 
can  not  see  well  in  broad  day.     On  this  account, 
when  it  is  flushed  by  the  dog,  it  makes  an  irregular 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


flight,  and  is  a  difficult  mark  for  the  sportsman. 
During  the  day  the  woodcock  is  at  rest,  and  at 
nightfall  it  begins  work.  The  straight,  sharp  bill, 
two  and  a  half  inches  long,  and  very  sensitive, 

knows  where 
to  find  the 
worm,  and  is 
thrust  into  the 
soft  ground 

w  HM9I  an(^  drawn  out 

so  quickly  that 
you  can  scarce- 
ly count  the 
strokes. 

12.  Wood- 
cocks have  an 
affection  for 
the  places  they  have  once  chosen  to  dwell  in,  and 
love  to  return  to  them.  A  gamekeeper  in  France 
once  snared  a  woodcock,  to  which  he  gave  its  liber- 
ty after  he  had  tied  to  its  leg  a  copper  ring.  The 
next  year  he  found  his  old  friend  again,  with  the 
same  leg  and  the  same  copper  ornament.  Tender 
and  affectionate,  too,  are  the  woodcocks  to  the 
four  or  five  young  they  yearly  hatch.  To  rescue 
them  from  danger,  they  often  pick  up  the  little 
ones  with  their  bills  or  claws,  and  fly  away  with 
them  to  a  place  of  safety. 


r 


American    Woodcock. 


GIANTS   OF  DESERT  AND  PLAIN.  55 

CHAPTER   IX. 

GIANTS   OF    DESERT   AND    PLAIN. 

1.  UNLESS  we  stop  to  think,  there  seems  to  be 
very  little  in  common  between  the  humming-bird 
and  the  ostrich.     The  one  is  about  as  big  as  the 
little  finger;  and  the  other  is  larger  and  taller 
than  a  man,  and  sometimes  weighs  three  hundred 
pounds.     The  one  has  a  leg  no  thicker  than  a  tiny 
grass-stalk,  and  the  other  has  the  leg  of  a  horse, 
one  kick  of  which  is  enough  to  kill  a  man. 

2.  Yet,  in  some   respects,  this   buzzing  little 
atom  and  the  immense  giant  are  alike.     They  .are 
both  true  birds.     They  are  both   warm-blooded, 
both  have  backbones,  both  have  feathered  wings, 
both  have  beaks  for  jaws,  both  have  hollow  bones, 
both  have  feathers,  and  both  lay  eggs  from  which 
they  produce  their  young. 

3.  And  yet  the  ostrich  is  a  queer-looking  creat- 
ure.    He  has  a  long,  skinny  neck,  reaching  up 
into  the  air  like  that  of  a  camel.     He  stands  six 
to  eight  feet  high,  and  can  carry  a  man  on  his 
back.     The  natives  of  Africa,  where  the  ostrich 
is  at  home,  call  him  the  "  camel  of  the  desert." 

4.  What  strange  feet  he  has,  with   but  two 
toes,  and  one  of  these  twice  as  long  as  the  other  ! 
He  has  a  droll  appetite  for  stones ;  some  of  those 


56 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


he  swallows  are  as  large  as  hen's  eggs.     These 
stones  find  their  way  into  his  gizzard,  and  help  to 


The  Ostrich. 

grind  and  digest  his  food,  which  consists  mostly 
of  reptiles,  rats,  and  birds.  When  tame,  he  has 
been  known  to  swallow  nails,  copper  coins,  keys, 
and  the  bolts  and  screws  of  an  iron  bridge. 

5.  One  thing  brings  him  into  close  relation  to 
the  humming-bird — his  beautiful  feathers.  With 
the  stubby  wings  he  has,  the  ostrich  can  not  fly. 
But,  when  he  runs  from  his  pursuers,  these  wings 
give  him  much  friendly  assistance.  By  their  help 
his  long  legs  are  able  to  take  steps  of  twelve  or 


GIANTS  OF  DESERT  AND  PLAIN.  57 

fourteen  feet  in  length,  and  to  carry  him  over  the 
African  plains  with  the  speed  of  a  railway-train. 

6.  The  egg  of  the  female  is  equal  to  twenty- 
five  hen's   eggs,  and  weighs   from   two  to  three 
pounds.     She  makes  a  nest  in  the  sand  about  four 
feet  in  diameter.     Here  she  lays,  perhaps,  fifteen 
eggs.     Then  her  neighbors  deposit  their  eggs  in 
the  same  nest,  and  a  certain  number  are  laid  aside 
for  the  young  to  eat  when  they  are  hatched. 

7.  The  six  weeks  of  hatching  are  passed  in  a 
way  that  shows  much  forethought  and  good  sense. 
The  work,  for  such  this  laborious  sitting  must  be, 
is  divided  between  the  different  females  who  have 
laid  the  eggs,  each  taking  her  turn.     The  male  oc- 
casionally relieves  them,  and,  during  the  hottest 
part  of  the  day,  the  eggs  are  left  to  the  sun  alone. 

8.  The  young  of  the  ostrich  are  carefully  tend- 
ed by  both  parents  until  they  are  nearly  grown. 
Dr.  Livingstone  met  with  broods  of  little  ostriches 
led  by  a  male,  who  pretended  to  be  lame,  that  he 
might  attract  attention  from   his  tender  charge. 
In  South  Africa,  farms,  containing  thousands  of 
acres,  are  devoted  to  the  rearing  of  the  birds,  for 
the  profit  arising  from  their  feathers. 

9.  In    South   America — in   Brazil,   Chili,   and 
Peru — there  is  a  smaller  variety  of  ostrich,  called 
the  rhea.     It  is  but  half  the  size  of  the  African 
bird,  and  has  three  instead  of  two  toes. 


NEIGHBORS   WITH    WINGS  AND  FINS. 


10.  These  birds  run  swiftly,  are  easily  tamed, 
steal  coins  and  nails  to  eat,  and  hate  no  one  but 
their  Indian  enemies,  who  hunt  them  upon  horse- 
back. The  male  does  all  the  sitting  upon  and 
hatching  of  the  eggs — his  gentle  companions  retir- 
ing until  he  brings  off 
the  brood.  The  egg  of 
the  rhea  is  equal  to  fifteen 
hen's  eggs,  and,  like  the 
ostrich's  egg,  is  cooked 
and  eaten  from  the  shell. 
11.  The  emu  of  Aus- 
tralia, next  to  the  ostrich, 
is  the  largest  of  birds. 
The  male  bird  alone 
hatches  and  broods  the  young.  The  female  is 
noisy,  quarrelsome,  and  cruel  to  her  offspring.  As 
a  household  pet  it  is  cunning,  and  often  mischiev- 
ous. A  familiar  poem  gives  a  pleasant  introduc- 
tion to  this  bird : 

THE   BALLAD  OF  THE   EMU. 

12.  Oh,  say,  have  you  seen  at  the  willows  so  green, 

So  charmingly  and  rurally  true, 
A  singular  bird  with  a  manner  absurd, 
Which  they  call  the  Australian  emu  ? 

Have  you 
Ever  seen  this  Australian  emu  ? 


The  Emu. 


GIANTS  OF  DESERT  AND  PLAIN.  59 

13.  It  trots  all  around  with  its  head  on  the  ground, 

Or  erects  it  quite  out  of  your  view ; 
And  the  ladies  all  cry,  when  its  figure  they  spy: 
"  Oh,  what  a  sweet,  pretty  emu  ! 

Oh,  do 
Just  look  at  that  lovely  emu  ! " 

14.  With  large  loaves  of  bread  then  they  feed  it, 

instead 

Of  the  flesh  of  the  white  cockatoo, 
Which  once  was  its  food  in  that  wild  neighbor- 
hood 
Where  ranges  the  swreet  kangaroo ; 

That  too 
Is  game  for  the  famous  emu ! 

15.  Old  sawrs  and  gimlets  best  its  appetite  whets, 

Like  the  world-famous  bark  of  Peru ; 
There's  nothing  so  hard  that  the  bird  will  dis- 
card, 
And  nothing  its  taste  will  eschew, 

That  you 
Can  give  that  long-legged  emu ! 


60  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

SWIMMERS   OF    LAKE   AND    SEA. 

1.  EACH  class  or  family  of  birds  is  furnished 
with  such  a  shape  of  body,  and  with  such  bills, 
wings,  legs,  and  toes  as  are  necessary  for  the  kind 
of  life  it  leads,  and  for  the  kind  of  food  it  is  to 
catch  and  eat.     If  a  boy  is  to  gather  pond-lilies, 
he  may  roll  up  his  pantaloons  and  wade  for  them, 
or,  if  the  water  is  too  deep  for  wading,  he  must  get 
into  a  boat  and  use  a  paddle  or  oars. 

2.  And  so  it  is  with  birds.     If  they  get  their 
living  by  wading,  they  must  have  long  legs  to 
keep  their  bodies  above  the  water,  long  necks  to 
bring  their  heads  back  to  the  ground,  and  long 
bills  to  penetrate  the  mud.     If  they  are  to  live 
by  swimming  and  diving,  they  must  have  broad 
bodies  for  floating;  light,  oily  feathers  for  keep- 
ing out  the  water ;  legs  set  far  back  for  paddles ; 
and  long,  slender  bills  for  catching  food  in  sight, 
or  broad,  flat  bills  for  sifting  it  out  of  the  mud. 

3.  Now,  here  is  the  flamingo,  a  wader,  swimmer, 
and  flier.     It  is  set  upon  a  pair  of  walking  tongs, 
that  carry  it  three  feet  above  the  ground ;  with  a 
long,  snaky  neck,  lifting  its  head  two  feet  higher. 
The  neck  of  this  bird  must  be  long,  because  its  legs 
are  long ;  but,  as  it  is  too  long  for  pushing  in  the 


SWIMMERS  OF  LAKE  AND  SEA. 


61 


mud,  like  the  duck,  it  is  made  to  turn  and  twist 
in  every  way.  With  this  neck,  and  with  its  odd 
beak,  the  flamingo  can  bore  into  the  mud  with  its 
head  upside  down.  Its  body  is  lithe  and  boat- 
shaped,  so  as  to  pass  easily  through  air  or  water. 

4.  The  goose  is  common  in  most  parts  of  the 
inhabited  world.     It  is  a  much  abused  bird,  but  it 
is   not    half    so 
silly  or  stupid  as 
are      many      of 
those  who  slan- 
der   it.      Sharp 
eyes,  sharp  ears, 
a    keen     smell, 
and     a     quick 
perception,     are 
among   the   vir- 
tues of  this  bird. 
A  flock  of  geese 
was  once  stolen, 
and  could  not  be 
found.      Some  weeks   afterward   the  old  gander 
escaped,  and  appeared  before  the  gate  of  his  home, 
uttering  a  harsh   scream.     When  he   refused   to 
enter,  his  master  followed  his  lead  to  an  old  barn, 
where  he  found  the  missing  flock. 

5.  The  wild  geese,  that  we  sometimes  see  fly- 
ing high  above  us,  are  of  a  grayish-brown  color, 


The  American  Flamingo. 


62  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

and  are  much  handsomer  than  their  tame  cousins. 
From  the  shores  of  tropical  Cuba  to  the  icy  slopes 
of  Labrador  they  fly  on  the  path  of  the  clouds, 
with  ocean  and  land  and  river  and  mountain,  and 
the  busy  life  of  man  far  beneath  them. 

6.  They  migrate  in  flocks  of  from  ten  to  one 
hundred.     They  fly  either  in  Indian  file  forming  a 
single  line,  or  with  a  second  line,  branching  off 
from  near  the  head  of  the  column,  and  forming 
two  sides  of  a  triangle.     The  strong,  old  ganders 
take  the  lead,  and  then  follow  the  others  in  the 
order  of  their  strength.     In  the  path  of  the  mi- 
gration, flocks  follow  one  another  in  rapid  succes- 
sion, sometimes  for  two  days  and  nights,  the  whole 
number  being  almost  countless.     In  the  far  North 
they  build  their  nests  and  rear  their  young. 

7.  While  the  goose  hatches  or  broods  her  gos- 
lings in  the  swamp-grass,  the  gander  sails  about, 
with  his  eye  and  ear  open  to  every  object  and 
sound.     There  is  something  surprising  in  the  way 
these  birds  judge  of  the  sounds  they  hear.     The 
branch  of  a  tree  may  fall,  or  a  turtle  may  tumble 
into  the  water,  or  a  deer  crack  the  bush  under  its 
feet,  and  they  give  no  heed  to  these  things.     But, 
when  the  tread  of  the  Indian  is  heard  in  the  brake, 
or  the  dipping  of  his  oar  in  the  water,  they  know 
the  sound  of  the  enemy,  and  the  alarm  is  given. 

8.  Ducks  are  as  common  in  all  parts  of  the 


SWIMMERS  OF  LAKE  AND  SEA.  63 

world  as  chickens  and  children.  They  are  web- 
footed  swimmers,  with  feet  flatter  than  those  of 
the  goose,  and  with  wide,  flat  bills,  which  work  in 
the  mud  and  strain  out  worms,  seeds,  and  other 
things  that  they  like  to  eat.  Ducks  get  nearly 
their  full  growth  during  the  first  three  months  of 
their  life.  And  these  young  ducks,  tender  and 
delicious,  are  served  on  many  a  table  as  the  most 
tempting  dish  for  festive  occasions. 

9.  Of  wild  ducks  there  is  scarcely  any  end. 
There  are  river  ducks  and  sea  ducks ;  eider  ducks, 
mallard  ducks,  and  canvas-backs ;  wood  ducks  and 
teal  ducks  and  call  ducks.     Nearly  all  are  migra- 
tory, following  the  season  to  the  North  or  to  the 
South.     Their  flight  is  very  swift ;  sometimes  as 
many  as  ninety  or  a  hundred  miles  an  hour.   Near- 
ly all  make  their  nests  in  grass  or  rushes.     The 
wood  duck  builds  on  a  stump  or  a  tree.    The  wild 
duck   is   intelligent  and   crafty.      It  dives  away 
from  the  hunter,  swims  to  the  shore  under  water, 
and  creeps  up  under  the  grass. 

10.  Audubon  once  came  upon  a  female  duck 
with  her  brood,  when  the  mother  raised  her  feath- 
ers and  hissed.     The  ducklings  skulked  and  hid 
in  every  direction.    His  well-trained  dog,  however, 
hunted  them  all  out,  and  brought  them  to  the  bag 
without  injury.     All  this  time  the  old  duck  flut- 
tered before  the  dog  to  draw  away  his  attention. 


64:  NEIGHBORS    WITH    WINGS  AND  FINS. 

When  the  little  ones  were  all  in  the  bag,  she 
came  and  stood  before  the  sportsman,  as  if  deeply 
grieved.  What  could  he  do  less  than  to  give  her 
back  her  babies  ?  The  mother,  he  says,  seemed  to 
smile  her  gratitude;  and  he  himself  felt  a  great 
joy  in  her  happiness. 

11.  -For  beauty,  grace,  and  gentleness  the  swan 
is  king  of  web-footed  birds.     To  all  who  visit  the 


The  Black  Swan. 


parks  and  gardens  of  great  cities  it  is  attractive 
by  its  finely  arched  neck,  its  white  plumage,  and 
its  gentle,  winding  movements.  There  is  also  the 
black  swan  of  Australia,  and  the  black -necked 
swan  of  South  America.  The  size  of  our  swan 


SAILERS  OF  OCEAN  AND  AIR.  65 

is  great.  It  has  weighed  as  many  as  thirty-eight 
pounds,  and  has  measured  ten  feet  between  the 
tips  of  its  spread  'wings. 

12.  The  swan  is  not  a  bird  for  the  palate,  nor 
for  the  ear;  it  belongs  to  the  eye.  All  the  an- 
cient  poets  have  said  about  its  sweet  note,  and  its 
sweeter  dying  strain,  is  very  fine,  but  lacks  truth. 
The  swan  has  an  ugly  note,  but  sense  enough  to 
keep  still.  It  is  said,  however,  that  there  is  a 
"  whistling "  swan  in  the  colder  regions  of  the 
North  and  South,  that  sings  as  it  flies,  and  its 
pleasant  note  is  heard  at  a  long  distance. 


CHAPTER   XL 
SAILERS   OF   OCEAN   AND   AIR. 

1.  OVEE  the  vast  surface  of  ocean  and  sea  are 
found  in  abundance  fish,  eels,  and  other  creatures 
of  the  water  upon  which  birds  delight  to  feed. 
Success  in  the  hunt  and  in  the  feast  that  follows 
demands  strength  of  wing  to  fly  long  and  far,  an 
eye  sharp  to  see  at  a  great  distance,  a  motion  quick 
and  sudden  to  secure  the  prey,  and  a  shape  of  foot 
and  body  to  fit  the  water  as  well  as  the  air. 

2.  The  sailers  of  ocean  and  air  are  just  the 
birds  for  this  work.     They  have  wide-stretching 


66 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  fINS. 


wings,  running  to  a  point,  so  that  they  slip  easily 
through  the  air.  Their  bodies  are  filled  with  air- 
cells,  so  that  they  are  balloons  when  they  fly,  and 
life-preservers  when  they  float.  Their  eyes  are 
keen,  their  flight  rapid,  and  they  are  -supplied 
with  a  larger  sack  of  oil  than  most  birds  to 
moisten  their  feathers  and  keep  the  wet  from 
their  bodies. 

3.  The  appetite  of  gulls  seems  never  to  be  sat- 


The  Gull. 

isfied.  They  chiefly  live  upon  fish,  but  many  of 
them  hover  about  the  paths  of  vessels,  picking  up 
fragments  of  food  thrown  overboard.  One  of  their 
occupations  is  to  rob  weaker  birds  of  their  hard- 
earned  game.  They  even  snatch  food  from  the 
beaks  of  pelicans.  They  pipe  an  unpleasant  note, 
although  the  laughing  sea-mew  is  so  called  because 
of  the  resemblance  of  its  noise  to  human  laughter. 


SAILERS  OF  OGEAN  AND  AIR. 


67 


4.  Gulls  vary  in  size,  some  being  as  small  as 
pigeons,  others  larger  than  ducks.  The  largest 
is  the  burgomaster-gull,  a  white  bird  that  comes 
down  from  the  Arctic  regions  as  far  south  as  New 
York.  He  is  a  gluttonous  fellow,  eating  fish,  small 
birds,  and  carrion.  The  sea-mew,  sometimes  called 
a  gull,  is  small,  active,  and  courageous.  All  gulls 
have  feeble  feet  and  three  webbed-toes.  Their 


The  Tern. 


long,  tapering  wings,  when  folded,  reach  beyond 
the  tail,  and  are  busy  whirling,  tossing,  and  drop- 
ping their  bodies  in  the  air.  They  seldom  rest. 

5.  The  tern,  or  sea-swallow,  is  the  winged  fairy 
among  all  the  sea-fliers.     Its  body  is  delicate  in 


68  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS, 

outline ;  its  wings  long,  slender,  and  graceful ;  its 
color  a  soft,  pearly-white ;  the  cap  on  its  Lead  is 
black,  and  the  stockings  on  its  legs  are  coral-red. 
When  the  tern  flies  over  the  water  in  search  of 
food,  its  long  bill  points  downward,  giving  it  some 
what  the  appearance  of  a  great  white  mosquito. 

6.  Terns  have  a  tender  sympathy  for  their  own 
kind.     When  one  is  brought  down  by  the  sports- 
man's shot,  the  survivors  fly  to  the  spot  and  flutter 
and  wail,  as  if  in  great  distress.     Should  a  tern 
have  the  misfortune  to  lose  a  wing,  its  friends 
bring  it  food  until  the  time  comes  for  migration, 
when  it  must  be  left  to  its  fate. 

7.  The  terns,  while  they  secure  their  own  food, 
render  agreeable  service  to  the  fishermen  on  the 
coast.     The  blue-fish,  in  their  season,  drive  large 
schools  of  smaller  fish  to  the  surface,  for  which 
the  terns  cunningly  watch.     Hence  the  fisherman 
has  only  to  keep  his  eye  on  the  terns  to  know 
where  to  find  his  blue-fish. 

8.  An  immense  sea-flier,  three  feet  long,  and 
seven  feet  or  more  in  the  extent  of  its  wings,  is 
the  albatross.     Its  upper  feathers  are  either  white 
or  brown,  and  it  is  found  mostly  in  the  southern 
seas,  where  it  visits  the  village  of  the  penguins  to 
rent  a  place  for  its  nest.     The  albatross  has  won- 
derful power  of  wing,  sailing  through  the  sea  air 
for  many  days  without  rest. 


SAILERS  OF  OCEAN  AND  AIR. 


69 


9.  The  size  of  a  bird  does  not  measure  the  ex- 
tent of  its  courage.     The  great  albatross  is  often 


Ike  Albatross. 

attacked,  and  sometimes  torn  in  pieces,  by  the  lit- 
tie  sea-mew.  But  this  feathered  sailer  braves  the 
severest  storms,  and  is  regarded  by  the  human 
sailors  as  a  bird  of  good  omen.  On  account  of  its 
size,  they  call  it  "man-of-war."  To  distressed  sea- 
men it  is  a  welcome  visitor,  as  we  find  in  the  "  Rime 
of  the  Ancient  Mariner  " : 


70  NEIGHBORS  WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

10.  "  The  ice  was  here,  the  ice  was  there, 

The  ice  was  all  around  ; 
It  cracked  and  growled,  and  roared  and  howled, 

Like  noises  in  a  swound  ! 
It  ate  the  food  it  ne'er  had  eat, 

And  round  and  round  it  flew  : 
The  ice  did  split  with  a  thunder-fit ; 

The  helmsman  steered  us  through  ! 
And  a  good  south  wind  sprang  up  behind ; 

The  albatross  did  follow, 
And  every  day,  for  food  or  play, 

Came  to  the  mariner's  hollo  ! " 

11.  There  is  a  bird  which  the  sailors  never  kill. 
In  the  gentle  touch  of  the  wave  by  its  three-toed 
foot  it  has  reminded  them  of  St.  Peter  trying  to 
walk  on  the  water.     So  they  regard  it  with  awe 
and  superstition,  and  call  it  a  petrel.     It  may  be 
as  small  as  a  swallow  or  as  large  as  a  goose.     It 
is  a  dusky  bird,  like  the  darkness  and  the  storm 
which  it  loves.     Living  on  the  fat  of  fish,  it  be- 
comes a  lump  of  oil,  and  men  have  used  it  for  a 
lamp  by  simply  drawing  a  wick  through  its  body. 

12.  A  solemn,  weird  bird  is  this  stormy  petreL 
It  loves  what  other  birds  and  men  fear.    Its  home 
is  the  ocean,  far  away  from  land,  save  when  it  seeks 
some  lonely  spot  on  which  to  lay  its  single  egg  and 
rear  its  young.     It  is  a  mute  bird.     It  makes  no 
noise.     With  the  waves  and  the  winds  and  the 
rocking  billows  it  plays.     In  the  storm  it  rejoices. 


TEE  STORMY  PETREL.  71 

When  the  clouds  are  low,  and  the  tempest  is  high, 
and  the  ship  is  on  end,  and  sailors  are  terror- 
stricken,  then  the  petrel  dances,  laughs  at  fear,  and 
is  happy. 


CHAPTER   XII. 
THE   STORMY    PETREL 

1.  A  THOUSAND  miles  from  land  are  we, 
Tossing  about  on  the  roaring  sea, 
From  billow  to  bounding  billow  cast, 
Like  fleecy  snow  on  the  stormy  blast. 
The  sails  are  scattered  abroad  like  weeds ; 
The  strong  masts  shake  like  quivering  reeds ; 
The  mighty  cables  and  iron  chains, 

The  hull,  which  all  earthly  strength  disdains — 
They  strain  and  they  crack;  and  hearts  like  stone 
Their  natural,  hard,  proud  strength  disown. 

2.  Up  and  down  !  up  and  down ! 

From  the  base  of  the  wave  to  the  billow's  crown, 

And  amid  the  flashing  and  feathery  foam 

The  stormy  petrel  finds  a  home. 

A  home,  if  such  a  place  may  be 

For  her  who  lives  on  the  wide,  wide  sea, 

On  the  craggy  ice,  in  the  frozen  air, 

And  only  seeketh  her  rocky  lair 


72  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  fINS. 

To  warm  her  young,  and  to  teach  them  to  spring 
At  once  o'er  the  waves  on  their  stormy  wing ! 

3.  O'er  the  deep  !  o'er  the  deep  ! 

Where  the  whale  and  the  shark  and  the  sword- 

fish  sleep — 

Outflying  the  blast  and  the  driving  rain, 
The  petrel  telleth  her  tale — in  vain ; 


The  Stormy  Petrel. 

For  the  mariner  curseth  the  warning  bird 
Which  bringeth  him  news  of  the  storm  unheard ! 
Ah !  thus  does  the  prophet  of  good  or  ill 
Meet  hate  from  the  creatures  he  serveth  still ! 
Yet  he  ne'er  falters — so,  petrel,  spring 
Once  more  o'er  the  waves  on  thy  stormy  wing ! 

Barry  Cornwall, 


OAR-FOOTED  SEA-FLIERS.  73 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
OAR-FOOTED   SEA-FLIERS, 

"  Through  my  north  window,  in  the  wintry  weather — 

My  airy  oriel  on  the  river-shore — 
I  watch  the  sea-fowl  as  they  flock  together 

Where  late  the  boatman  flashed  his  dripping  oar." 

1.  AMONG  the  sea-fowl  there  are  some  birds  of 
large  size  and  long  wing,  whose  life  requires  that 
they  sail  on  the  water  as  well  as  in  the  air.     For 
this  purpose  their  toes  are  fully  webbed,  and,  thus 
furnished,  their  feet  act  like  oars  to  move  their 
bodies  when  they  float. 

2.  One  of  these  oar-footed  sea-fliers  is  the  peli- 
can, which  is  about  the  size  and  shape  of  the  goose, 
and  has  a  small  tail  and  a  monstrous  beak.     The 
beak  is  huge  and  hooked  at  the  end  because  it  is 
a  fishing-hook,  a  scoop-net,  a  game-pouch,  and  a 
meat-axe — all  in  one.     We  shall  see  how  he  uses 
this  beak  if  we  watch  the  bird  carefully. 

3.  The  pelican  sails  about  on  his  great  wide- 
spread wings,  with  his  keen  eye  piercing  the  water 
below.    If  we  watch  closely,  we  may  not  see  a  fish, 
but  he  sees  one,  and  pounces  down  as  quick  as  a 
gun-shot.     In  an  instant  he  scoops  the  game,  keeps 
it  from  slipping  away  by  the  hook  in  his  bill,  and 
pushes  it  into  his  pouch  or  game-bag. 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


4.  Look  at  this  pouch.  When  the  bird  is  not 
fishing  you  would  not  notice  it,  for  it  is  a  loose  skin 
attached  to  his  under  jaw.  But  when  he  crams  it 

with  six  pounds 
of  fish,  as  he 
often  does,  it 
grows  as  large 

' 


The  American    White  Pelican. 


This  bird  leads 
the  life  of  a 
glutton.  He  is 
a  pig  with 
wings.  To  eat 
and  to  sleep  are 
his  main  occu- 
pation. And 
such  an  eater  !  His  meal  of  fish  would  feed  six  men. 

5.  Pelicans  live  in  large  companies,  and  their 
habits  are  regular.     They  call  for  two   meals  a 
day  —  one  before   sunrise,   and    the   other   after 
sunset.     They  wake   early,  rub   their   eyes,  and 
stretch.     There  may  be  a  hundred  of  them  stand- 
ing in  a  long,  white  row.     If  one  of  them  gapes, 
they  all   gape.     Then  they  rise,  and  float  away 
on  their  white   sails   toward    some   nook   in  the 
bay. 

6.  Slowly  the  long,  graceful,  snowy  line  in  the 
air  stretches  around  this  corner  in  the  bay,  when 


OAR-FOOTED  SEA-FLIERS.  t5 

they  descend  to  the  water.  Between  them  and 
the  shore  thousands  of  little  fellows  with  fins  are 
jumping  and  dancing  in  the  peep  of  day.  Now 
the  pelicans  spread  their  wings,  and  flap  the  water 
with  heavy  strokes,  driving  the  small  fry  closer 
and  closer  into  the  corner. 

7.  Then  breakfast  is  ready,  and  each  one  helps 
himself.     The  pouches  are  filled,  and  the  sated 
flock  flies  away  to  a  sunny  retirement,  to  swallow 
and  digest  their  meal,  and  to  sleep  away  the  long, 
lazy  day.     When  he  is  ready  to  eat,  the  pelican 
closes  and  throws  up  his  bill,  contracts  the  pouch, 
and  swallows  the  prey. 

8.  Pelicans  build  their  nests  in  the  coarse  grass, 
where  each  female  lays  two  white  eggs.     When. 

«/  OO  ' 

after  forty  days,  the  young  are  hatched,  the  mother- 
bird  treats  them  with  kind  care.  And  this  is  the 
way  she  feeds  them :  Pressing  the  point  of  her  bill 
against  her  breast,  a  portion  of  the  fish  in  her 
stomach  rises,  and  is  emptied  into  the  open  mouth 
of  the  young  bird. 

9.  The   cormorant  is  a   sea-flier  and   a   great 
eater — as  its  name  indicates.     About  the  same  in 
weight  as  the  pelican,  with  a  shorter  neck  and  a 
much  smaller  pouch,  it  has  a  more  pleasing  form, 
and  is  clothed  with  black,  shiny  feathers,  varied 
with  green,  purple,  and  violet  tints.     The  tail  is 
long,  fan-shaped,  and  stiff — helping  the  bird  to 


76 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


climb  up  the  rocks?  and  to  hold  its  body  erect  when 
it  is  standing. 

10.  This  bird  is  very  particular  about  the  way 
in  which  it  swallows  game.     The  fish  must  always 


The  Cormorant. 

go  down  head-foremost.  Should  it  happen  to  be 
sent  to  the  stomach  tail  first,  it  must  come  up  and 
be  tossed  into  the  air  until  it  is  caught  and  sent  to 
its  destination  in  a  proper  position.  Eels  are  very 
slippery,  and  do  not  like  to  be  swallowed.  But 
they  are  doomed  when  once  they  pay  a  visit  to  the 
bill  of  a  cormorant. 

11.  With  a  struggle,  this  bird  finally  swallows 
the  eel,  and  we  think  it  is  done  for.     But  in  a  mo- 


OAR-FOOTED  SEA-FLIERS.  77 

ment  up  comes  this  lively  fish,  having  found  that 
it  can  crawl  out  by  the  same  door  through  which 
it  was  forced  in.  Again  it  is  swallowed,  and  again 
it  comes  up.  It  is  a  sad  and  sober  scramble  for 
dear  life  for  the  eel,  but  it  is  fun  for  the  cormorant 


The  Darter. 


At  last,  disheartened  and  worn  out,  the  poor  eel 
descends  to  rise  no  more. 

12.  The  cormorants  are  sometimes  tamed  and 


78  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

made  useful  as  fishermen.  By  the  Chinese  they 
are  made  as  docile  and  gentle  as  puppies.  To 
keep  them  from  swallowing  the  fish  they  catch, 
rings  are  sometimes  passed  over  their  necks ;  but 
they  frequently  become  so  obedient  that  a  dozen 
birds  will  dive  from  a  raft  and  bring  up  their  game, 
and  instantly  deliver  it  to  their  masters. 

13.  The  darter,  with  a  neck  long,  crooked,  and 
winding,  is  sometimes  called  the  serpent-bird.  He 
is  longer  than  the  duck,  and  is  formed  less  like  a 
water-bird.  Upon  a  tree  or  rock,  by  the  side  of 
river  or  pond,  he  sits  and  watches  his  prey.  When 
a  fish  comes  within  reach,  the  darter  drops  down 
and  seizes  it,  swallowing  it  whole,  if  not  too  large, 
Again,  if  this  bird  is  alarmed,  it  darts  down  from 
its  perch  into  the  water  like  an  arrow,  and  often 
swims  for  a  thousand  feet  before  it  appears  again 
on  the  surface. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 
SWIMMERS  AND    DIVERS. 

1.  THE  Vicar  of  Wakefield  remarked  that  visit- 
ors  to  his  house  would  say,  "Well,  upon  my 
word,  Mrs.  Primrose,  you  have  the  finest  chil 
dren  in  the  whole  country."  "Ay,  neighbor,"  she 
would  answer,  "they  are  as  Heaven  made  them,, 


SWIMMERS  AND  DIVERS.  79 

handsome  enough,  if  they  be  good  enough,  for 
handsome  is  that  handsome  does."  The  loon  is 
fine-looking  and  well-favored,  but,  on  the  princi- 
ple of  Mrs.  Primrose,  it  is  not  handsome.  Some 
of  its  actions  are  not  bright,  and  on  this  account 
some  people  are  said  to  be  "  as  stupid  as  a  loon." 

2.  From  the  point  of  his  bill  to  the  end  of  his 
tail  the  loon  measures  three  feet,  and  his  extended 


The  Loon. 


wings  measure  five  feet.  As  he  sits  upon  a  rock, 
dashed  by  the  blue  sea- waves,  lifting  his  straight 
form  to  the  sky,  showing  his  white  breast,  and  his 
glossy  back  of  green  and  black  in  the  sunlight,  he 
looks  like  a  very  handsome  bird.  There  is  scarcely 
a  better  diver  than  the  loon.  Rarely  does  he  go 
down  that  he  does  not  bring  up  a  fish. 

3.  No  common  sportsman    can    shoot  a  loon. 


80 


NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 


The  bird  keeps  his  eye  on  the  shore,  and,  when  he 
sees  the  flash  of  the  gun,  he  dives  so  quickly  that 
the  bullet  passes  harmlessly  over  him.  Then  he 
swims  or  flies  with  great  rapidity  under  water,  and 
comes  up  a  long  distance  from  where  he  went 
down.  But,  approached  from  the  sea,  the  loon  be- 
comes stupid.  As  he  sails  out  with  his  pretty 
mate,  off  on  the  water,  he  sees  a  bright-colored 
object  fluttering  in  the  wind,  and  out  of  mere  curi- 
osity he  sets  out  to  examine  it.  When  so  near, 
that  even  his  quickness  of  diving  can  not  save 
him,  he  falls  a  victim  to  the  concealed  sportsman. 


Floating  Nest  of  the  Little  Grebe. 


4.  Among  the  stories  of  the  ancients  is  that  of 
the  halcyon,  which  made  a  raft  for  its  nest,  and 
floated  out  on  the  tranquil  sea,  until  its  eggs  were 


SWIMMERS  AND  DIVERS. 


81 


hatched.  It  could  foretell  weather,  and  while  it 
floated  no  storms  disturbed  the  air.  These  were 
the  happy  halcyon  days.  This  story  is  doubtless 
a  fable,  but  the  equally  strange  story  of  the  grebe 
is  true.  The  grebe,  known  as  the  little  grebe,  or 
the  crested  grebe,  is  about  the  size  of  a  small  duck. 
With  its  legs  fastened  to  the  rear  end  of  its  body, 


iiraiiHH^ 
The  Crested  Grebe. 


and  with  toes,  each  of  which  is  a  separate  paddle, 
the  grebe  is  at  home  on  the  water. 

5.  The  nest  of  the  grebe  is  a  tight  raft,  and 
floats  upon  the  bosom  of  lakes  and  ponds.  Where 
the  tall  rushes  and  reeds  grow  it  is  usually  found. 
Made  of  closely  woven  rushes  and  water-plants,  we 
can  scarcely  see  how  it  would  fail  to  sink  under 


82  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

the  weight  of  the  fowl,  or  her  eggs.  The  nest, 
however,  is  a  perfect  boat.  In  this  little  ark,  of 
reeds,  the  grebe  hatches  and  broods  her  young, 
and  here  they  float  like  Moses  in  the  ark  o£  bul- 
rushes, hidden  among  the  flags. 

6.  If  some    enemy  discovers    her,  this   witty 
bird  puts  one  foot  out  of  tliQ  nest,  and,  using  it  as 
a  paddle,  guides  her  little  palace  to  safer  waters. 
As  soon  as  the  young  are  hatched,  the  male  leads 
the  little  ones  into  the  water,  where  they  swim 
and  are  taught  to  dive.     When  they  grow  tired, 
they  mount  upon  the  backs  of  the  old  birds.    The 
mother-bird  induces  them  to  dive  by  holding  food 
in  her  beak,  retiring  as  they  approach  it,  until  she 
tempts  them  to  go  under  the  water  to  catch  it. 

7.  Away  in  the  islands  of   the  Southern  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  where  summer  shines  when  it  is  winter 
with  us,  lives  the  penguin.      On  a  bleak,  sandy 
coast  thousands  of  penguins  are  seen,  with  white 
breasts  and  glossy,  brown  backs,  sitting  on  their 
tails,  or  standing  on  their  short  legs,  which  are  far 
behind,  like  soldiers  drawn  up  in  line. 

8.  As  to  order  and  rule,  they  are  real  soldiers. 
The  line  is  straight  and  close.     The  old  birds  and 
the  fine-looking  are  together ;  so  also  are  the  young 
birds,  and  the  birds  that  are  molting  and  unclean ; 
and  if  a  bird  gets  into  the  wrong  rank,  it  is  at 
once  thrown  out.     The  short  wings  of  the  pen- 


SWIMMERS  AND  DIVERS. 


83 


guins  look  more  like  arms  than  wings,  and  are 

worthless  for  flight.     But  they  are  a  great  help 

when  they  attempt  to  run  on  the   shore.     Then 

the    wings    are 

used    as     feet. 

The      penguin 

lays    but     one 

egg,  which  she 

holds    between 

her        warm 

thighs  until  it 

is  hatched. 

9.  Penguins 
have  singular 
customs  about 
their  nests.  In 
October,  which  King  Penguin. 

is  their  spring, 

they  hold  a  mass-meeting  that  lasts  for  a  day  or 
two,  and  is  a  very  solemn  affair.  Then,  upon  a 
rocky  beach,  they  mark  out  with  their  bills  a  large 
square  court,  and  all  hands  go  to  work,  and  bring 
in  their  beaks  stones,  which  they  lay  up  as  a  wall 
to  inclose  the  square,  and  to  shelter  them  from  the 
winds.  At  the  openings,  sentinels  are  placed  for 
the  night.  The  large  inclosure  is  subdivided  into 
small  squares,  of  sufficient  size  to  receive  a  certain 
number  of  nests. 


84  NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

10.  When  all  this  is  done,  conies  the  albatross, 
begging  for  a  chance  to  place  her  nest.  Here  is 
the  strongest  flier  coming  to  meet  the  bird  that  is 
most  like  a  fish.  With  a  look  of  generosity  she  is 
assigned  to  some  vacant  corner,  where  she  deposits 
her  eggs.  Sometimes  there  is  heard  in  this  bird 
village  the  cry  of  "  Thief  ! "  when  it  usually  turns 
out  that  the  king  penguin  has  robbed  the  nest  of 
the  albatross. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    MESSENGER-BIRD   AND    ITS    COUSINS. 

1.  WE  have   followed  our    feathered    friends 
into  the  water,  out  upon  the  sea,  into  the  sky  and 
the  raging  storm,  and  now  we  come  back  to  the 
land  and  the  quiet  woods,  and  see  who  are  there. 

"  Come  with  me,  if  but  in  fancy, 

To  the  wood,  the  green,  soft  shade  : 
'Tis  a  haven,  pure  and  lovely, 
For  the  good  of  mankind  made. 

"  Listen  !  you  can  hear  the  cooing, 

Soft  and  soothing,  gentle  sound. 
Of  the  pigeons,  as  they  nestle 
In  the  branches  all  around." 

2.  The  pigeon  and  the  dove  are  quite  the  op- 
posite of  some  of  the  rough  and  greedy  creatures 


THE  MESSENGER-BIRD  AND  ITS  COUSINS.      85 

of  the  water  and  the  air.  The  soft,  gentle,  timid 
dove  has  for  thousands  of  years  been  the  emblem 
of  purity,  peace,  and  the  divine  presence.  It  be- 
longs to  the  family  of  pigeons,  which,  in  some  of 
their  three  hundred  varieties,  are  found  the  world 
over. 

3.  The  foot  of  a  bird  is  not  its  claw  alone,  but 
that  part  of  the  leg  which  reaches  from  the  heel 


Tlie  Passenger- Pigeon. 


or  first  joint  down  to  the  ground.  Now,  the  foot 
of  the  pigeon  is  shorter  than  its  claw  or  toes.  It 
is  made  for  walking  as  well  as  for  holding  to  the 


86  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

twig  of  a  tree.  Pigeons  do  not  hop  like  robins : 
they  walk  and  run  like  quails  and  chickens.  Their 
feathers  and  tails  are  long,  and  they  have  no  down. 
The  wings,  too,  are  long,  strong,  and  pointed,  giv- 
ing them  the  power  of  swift  and  continued  flight. 
The  color  of  wild  pigeons  and  doves  is  gray,  with 
blue,  green,  and  rose-colored  tints. 

4.  How  do  pigeons  drink?     Of  course,  those 
who  have  not  observed  will  say  that  they  drink 
as  most  other  feathered  people  drink — by  sipping 
a  little  water,  and  then  holding  up  the  beak  so 
that  it  will  run  down  the  throat.     But  this  is  not 
their  way.     They  put  their  bills  into  the  water, 
and  draw  up  their  drink  as  horses  and  cows  do. 
And  they  have  an  odd  way  of  feeding  their  young. 
In  the  pigeon's  throat  is  a  gland  or  sac  which  pro- 
duces a  milky  fluid ;  and  this  milk  is  dropped  into 
the  bills  of  the  two  little  ones  in  the  nest  during 
the  first  two  weeks  of  their  life. 

5.  Pigeons  are  birds  of  the  air  and  the  tree, 
though  their  food  is  found  on  the  ground,  and  con- 
sists chiefly  of   acorns  and  berries.     The  natural 
varieties  of  them  are  few,  but,  by  careful  mating 
and  breeding,  men  have  produced  a  great  number 
of  sorts.     The  common  barn  doves  we  all  know ; 
and  the  neatly  dressed,  graceful,  and  shy  turtle  or 
mourning  dove,  not  so  long  of  wing  or  tail  as  the 
wild  pigeon,  and  making  the  wood  resound  with 


THE  MESSENGER-BIRD  AND  ITS  COUSINS.      87 


its  sad,  unpleasant  "coo"  of  four  notes.  Then 
there  is  the  rock-pigeon  of  foreign  lands,  building 
its  nest  in  caves  and  holes — the  original  parent 
of  our  doves,  and  of  the  carrier-bird. 

6.  Very  rarely  does  the  railway  passenger-train 
move  as  swiftly  as  the  passenger-pigeons  fly.     Au- 


Wood-Pigeon  on  her  Rude  Nest. 

dubon  says  that  pigeons,  killed  near  New  York> 
had  crops  filled  with  Carolina  or  Georgia  rice. 
As  the  grain  would  digest  in  twelve  hours,  the 
birds  must  have  made  the  trip  from  the  rice-region 
in  less  than  twelve  hours,  or  at  the  rate  of  a  mile 
a  minute.  These  pigeons  take  journeys,  not  to 
find  a  warmer  or  cooler  climate,  but  to  seek  the 
beechnuts  and  acorns  that  constitute  their  food. 


88  NEIGHBORS  WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

7.  Their  eye-sight  must  be  very  keen,  for,  swift 
as  is  their  movement,  they  instantly  detect  the 
place  where  food  is,  and  drop  from  their  airy  path 
to  the  branches  of  the  forest.     The  place  which 
they  have  visited,  either  for  food  or  for  breeding, 
has  often  suffered  great  and  lasting  damage. 

8.  Many  years  ago,  in  a  Kentucky  forest,  the 
pigeons  occupied,  for  their  nesting-season,  a  space 
of  country  forty  miles  long  and  seven  miles  wide. 
Audubon  visited  this  region,  and   gives  a  very 
spirited  account  of  it.     It  was  in  the  month  of 
May.     As  soon  as  the  young,  or  squabs,  as  they 
are  called,  were  fully  grown,  and  before  they  left 
their  nests,  the  people  from  the  surrounding  coun- 
try came  to  this  immense  nursery  with  wagons, 
axes,  beds,  and  cooking-utensils,  and  encamped  for 
several  days.     The  noise  and  clatter  of  this  chat- 
tering camp  of  birds,  cooing,  and    chirping,  and 
piping,  was  so  great  that  human  conversation  could 
scarcely  be  heard.     As  many  as  a  hundred  nests 
were  found  on  a  single  tree.     So  great  was  the 
weight  of  feathered  life,  that  the  branches  of  the 
trees  gave  way,  and  the  ground  was  strewed  with 
broken  limbs  and  squeaking  squabs. 

9.  The  men  felled  trees  with  their  axes,  and 
thus  added  greatly  to  the  struggling  and  helpless 
youngsters  on  the  ground.  It  was  a  scene  of  heart- 
less carnage.     Hawks,  buzzards,  eagles,  and  great 


THE  MESSENGER-BIRD  AND  ITS  COUSINS.      89 

herds  of  hogs  enjoyed  a  perpetual  feast.  It  was 
dangerous  to  walk  through  the  woods  on  account 
of  the  falling  of  the  timber,  and  the  droppings  of 
the  feathered  millions  above.  And  large  portions 
of  the  forest  were  as  effectually  killed  as  they 
would  have  been  if  girdled  with  an  axe. 

10.  Audubon  has  left  an  account  of  a  remark- 
able flight  of  pigeons  on  their  way  to  this  nesting- 
place  in   1813.     He  tried  to  count  the  flocks  as 
they  passed,  but  soon  grew  tired.     On  they  came, 
flock  after  flock,  until   the  thickening  masses  in- 
creased to  an  immense  cloud  that  obscured  the 
noonday  sun.     For  three  days  in  succession  this 
feathered  cloud  continued  to  pass.     As  it  crossed 
the   Ohio  River  the   flight  was   lower,   and   the 
banks  were  covered  with  excited  boys,  who  never 
had  better  luck  in  hunting  in  their  lives. 

11.  And  who  can  estimate  the  number  in  that 
grand  procession  ?     Audubon  thinks  that  the  mass 
of  moving  birds  shadowed  a  territory  equal  to 
eighteen  square  miles,  and  that  there  were  at  least 
two  pigeons  to  the  square  yard.     This  would  give 
to  the  whole  flight  more  than  one  thousand  mill 
ion  birds ;  and  if  each  required  a  half -pint  of  food 
daily,  the  whole  multitude  would  consume,  in  one 
day,  nearly  nine  million  bushels! 

12.  The  use  of  pigeons  for  carrying  messages 
was  practiced  by  the  Romans  two  thousand  years 


90  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

ago.  William,  Prince  of  Orange,  employed  pigeons 
to  carry  letters  to  the  besieged  city  of  Leyden  in 
1574;  and  so  delighted  was  lie  with  their  faith- 
fulness, that  he  ordered  them  to  be  fed  on  straw- 
berries, and  to  be  embalmed  after  death.  Navi- 
gators from  Egypt  were  accustomed  to  take  car- 
riers on  board  their  ships,  which  they  released  to 
return  home,  from  time  to  time,  to  bear  messages 
to  their  families.  During  the  siege  of  Paris  in 
1871  pigeons  were  employed  to  carry  messages  to 
and  from  the  city.  These  post-boys  were  out  of 
the  reach  of  the  German  soldiers. 

13.  The  carrier-pigeon  is,  by  nature,  strongly 
attached  to  its  home.  In  training,  it  is  taken,  per- 
haps, a  mile  from  home  in  a  basket,  and  let  loose. 
Then  the  distance  is  increased  daily,  until  the  bird 
can  be  moved  to  any  distance,  when,  on  being  re- 
leased, it  will  take  a  direct  course  for  home.  When 
once  trained,  the  letter  is  tied  to  its  wings  or  to 
its  feet;  he  is  set  free,  rises  high  in  the  air,  makes 
one  or  two  circular  flights,  and  then  darts  off  in 
the  proper  direction  like  an  arrow. 

THE    BELFRY    PIGEON, 

14.  On  the  cross-beam,  under  the  Old  South  bell, 
The  nest  of  a  pigeon  is  builded  well. 
In  summer  and  winter  that  bird  is  there, 
Out  and  in  with  the  morning  air: 


THE  MESSENGER-BIRD  AND  ITS  COUSINS.      91 

I  love  to  see  him  track  the  street, 
With  his  wary  eye  and  active  feet; 
And  I  often  watch  him  as  he  springs. 
Circling  the  steeple  with  easy  wings, 
Till  across  the  dial  his  shade  has  passed, 
And  the  belfry  edge  is  gained  at  last. 
'Tis  a  bird  I  love,  with  its  brooding  note, 
And  the  trembling  throb  in  its  mottled  throat ; 
There's  a  human  look  in  its  swelling  breast, 
And  a  gentle  curve  of  its  lowly  crest; 
And  I  often  stop  with  the  fear  I  feel — 
He  soars  so  close  to  the  rapid  wheel. 

15.  Whatever  is  rung  on  that  noisy  bell, 

Chime  of  the  hour,  or  funeral  knell, 

The  dove  in  the  belfry  must  hear  it  well. 

When  the  tongue  swings  out  to  the  midnight  moon, 

When  the  sexton  cheerily  rings  for  noon, 

When  the  clock  strikes  clear  at  morning  light, 

When  the  child  is  waked  with  "nine  at  night," 

When  the  chimes  play  soft  in  the  Sabbath  air, 

Filling  the  spirit  with  tones  of  prayer — 

Whatever  tale  in  the  bell  is  heard, 

He  broods  in  his  folded  wings  unstirred ; 

Or,  rising  half  in  his  rounded  nest, 

He  takes  the  time  to  smooth  his  breast, 

Then  droops  again  with  filmed  eyes, 

And  sleeps  as  the  last  vibration  dies. 

N.  P.  Willis. 


92  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
GLUTTONS    IN    FEATHERS. 

1.  BEFOKE  we  condemn  the  poor  birds  whom 
we  can  fitly  call  greedy  gluttons,  we  must  care- 
fully study  their  nature  and  habits,  and  learn  what 
work  they  are  called  upon  to  do.     They  are  fitted 
with  hooked  beaks,  stout  wings,  and  strong  legs ; 
but  their  toes  are  weak  and  their  claws  short, 
blunt,  and  but  slightly  curved. 

2.  Their  sense  of  sight  is  keen,  but  they  pos- 
sess no  voice,  and  can  make  only  a  weak,  hissing 
sound.     In  the  United  States  there  are  three  mem- 
bers of  the  family — the  turkey-buzzard,  carrion- 
crow,  and  Californian  vulture. 

3.  The  turkey-buzzard,  our  most  familiar  spe- 
cies, is  about  two  and  a  half  feet  in  length,  has  a 
wing  extent  of  six  feet,  is  blackish-brown  in  color, 
with  head  and  neck  nearly  naked,  bearing  only 
scattered,  bristle-like  feathers.    In  outward  appear- 
ance he  greatly  resembles  the  turkey. 

4.  He  greedily  devours  carrion  and  all  kinds 
of  refuse  animal  matter,  usually  assembling  with 
hosts  of  his  companions  wherever  a  dead  animal  is 
to  be  found,  and  there  remaining  until  gorged. 

5.  The  carrion-crow  is  a  shorter  but  heavier 
bird  than  the  turkey-buzzard,  and  with  head  more 


GLUTTONS  IN  FEATHERS. 


93 


fully  feathered.  In  the  Southern  States  these 
birds  are  very  numerous,  and  are  frequently  met 
with  in  the  streets 
of  the  towns.  They 
also  attend  the  mar- 
kets and  shambles 
to  pick  up  pieces  of 
flesh  thrown  away 
by  the  butchers, 
and  when  an  oppor- 
tunity occurs  leap 
from  one  bench  to 
another  for  the  pur- 
pose of  helping 
themselves. 

6.  One    winter 

day  in  Florida,  while  drifting  idly  in  our  boat,  the 
Bandersnatch,  among  the  beautiful  palmetto- 
crowned  islands  of  the  Gulf-coast,  we  saw,  at  a 
short  distance,  hundreds  of  turkey-buzzards  and 
carrion-crows  circling  in  the  air,  and  large  numbers 
coming  from  all  directions. 

7.  We  determined  at  once  to  discover  the 
cause  of  the  commotion,  and  rowing  to  the  spot, 
some  two  hundred  yards  distant,  found  floating  in 
the  water  the"  bodies  of  a  number  of  porpoises. 
Evidently  a  school  of  these  creatures  had  suddenly 
met  an  untimely  end,  and  had  been  washed  in  by 


The  Turkey- Buzzard. 


94  NEIGHBORS   WITH    WINGS  AND  FINS. 

the  tide.  Here  was  a  rare  chance  for  our  natural- 
ist to  obtain  a  series  of  skeletons.  A  line  was  at- 
tached to  several  of  the  carcasses,  and  they  were 
towed  to  an  islet  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  and 
carried  well  up  on  the  sand. 

8.  Early  the  following  morning  dark  objects 
were  seen  hovering  in  the  air  over  Porpoise  Islet. 
With  a  glass  we  discovered  that  the  gluttons  were 
assembling,  and  soon  the  feast  began.     During  the 
day  several  excursions  were  made  to  the  scene,  it 
being  necessary  to  watch  the  work  of  the  bone- 
cleaners,  for  fear  that  portions  of  the  skeletons 
might  be  carried  away.     On  these  occasions  a  few 
of  the  birds  kept  steadily  at  work,  while  others, 
more  completely  gorged,  took  refuge  in  the  pal- 
mettos, from  time   to   time   lazily  flapping  their 
wings,  as  if  to  fan  themselves.     In  a  short  time 
the  skeletons  were  picked  clean,  and  needed  but 
little  work  to  make  them  ready  for  the  museum. 

9.  Another    vulture,    the    condor    of    South 
America,  is  the  largest  bird  that  flies.     Its  length 
is  about  three  and  a  half  feet,  and  the  spread  of 
its  wings  ten  feet.     It  is  a  powerfully -built  bird, 
of  metallic  black  plumage,  with  white-tipped  wings. 
The  head,  neck,  and  front  of  the  breast  are  bare 
of  feathers,  and  covered  with  a  hard,  dry,  and 
wrinkled  skin,  with  a  few  short,  stiff  hairs.    The 
male  bird  has  on  the  top  of  the  head  a  crest  of 


GLUTTON'S  IN  FEATHERS. 


95 


hardened  skin.     A  collar  of   white  silken  down 
separates    the    naked   neck    from    the   feathered 


The  Condor. 


body.     The  only  noise  it  makes  is  a  hiss  like  that 
of  a  goose. 


96  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS, 

10.  The  high  region  of  the  Andes  is  the  fa- 
vorite home  of  the  condor.     At  night  he  rests  on 
the  ledges  of  rock,  but  with  the  sun's  first  rays 
he  rouses  himself,  peers  over  the  ledge  into  the 
abyss    below,   dives   downward,  but   soon    rises, 
and,  moving   upward   in   sweeping  circles,   often 
ascends  to  a  height  of  four  or  five  miles.     While 
hovering  in  the  air  he  will  spy  out  his  prey  in 
the  valley  below.     Sometimes  it  is  a  lamb  or  a 
sheep,  or  a  mule,  that   has  fallen  dead   on   the 
mountains. 

11.  True  to  his  nature  as  a  vulture,  he  will 
eagerly  descend  upon  dead   prey,  though  he  is 
equally  glad  of  it  when  alive.     Such  havoc  does 
he  create  among  the  flocks  and  herds  of  the  mount- 
ains, that  watch-dogs  are  trained  to  bark  at  the  ap- 
proach of  these  terrible  foes.     His  talons  can  not 
clutch  his  prey,  as  do  those  of  the  eagle,  and  he  is 
forced  to  eat  it  on  the  spot.     Like  the  rest  of  his 
race,  he  is  a  great  glutton,  and  will  often  eat  until 
he  is  unable  to  rise  in  the  air.    When  in  this  con- 
dition the   Indians  capture  him  with  ease.      The 
young  grow  but  slowly,  and  are  not  able  to  fly 
for  nearly  two  years. 

12.  The  vultures  of  the  Old  World,  though  re- 
sembling those  of  our  country  in  their  habit  of 
eating  carrion,  are  more  hawk-like,  and  many  of 
them  are  among  the  fiercest  of  the  birds  of  prey. 


GLUTTONS  IN  FEATHERS. 


97 


In  warm  countries  they  do  great  service  as  scaven- 
gers, clearing  away  all  garbage,  which,  if  allowed 
to  remain  and  demy,  would  cause  pestilence. 

13.  The  sec- 
retary -  bird,   or 
crane- vulture,  of 
South     Africa, 
has    a    slender 
body  with  a  tail 
of     remarkable 
length,  the  two 
middle  feathers 
of  which  extend 
far  beyond  the  ^ 
rest.     The  foot 

is  long,  the  toes 
short,  claws  of 
moderate  length,  but  slightly  curved  and  very 
strong.  The  head  is  provided  with  a  crest  com- 
posed of  six  pairs  of  feathers,  placed  one  behind 
the  other,  so  that  they  can  be  either  raised  or 
spread,  or  laid  back  flat  upon  one  another.  These 
quills,  looking  like  the  quill-pens  which  clerks 
place  behind  their  ears,  have  given  to  him  his 
name  of  secretary-bird. 

14.  The  peculiar  part  which  he  plays,  however, 
is  that  of  a  snake-killer.    A  poisonous  snake,  when 
attacked,  usually  stops?   rears   itself,  and   shows 


The  Secretary- Bird. 


98  NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

anger  by  shrill  hissings.  The  bird  spreads  one  of 
his  wings,  and,  holding  it  before  him  like  a  shield, 
hops  backward  and  forward  in  a  variety  of  strange 
attitudes.  Each  bite  of  the  reptile  is  received  on 
the  wing-feathers,  where  the  poison  is  harmless, 
and  is  paid  by  vigorous  blows  with  its  other  wing. 
At  last  the  snake  is  stunned.  The  bird  then 
catches  hold  of  it,  and,  after  throwing  it  several 
times  into  the  air,  crushes  its  skull  with  his  sharp- 
pointed  bill,  and  swallows  it. 

15.  At  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  the  secretary- 
bird  is  frequently  tamed,  and  lives  on  the  most 
friendly  terms  with  the  poultry  in  the  farm-yard 
rendering  efficient  service  by  destroying  intruding 
rats  and  snakes. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
THE    SKY   KING    AND    HIS   FAMILY 

1.  THE  sky  king  and  his  family  are  day-hunt- 
ers. They  are  brighter  and  more  active  birds  than 
the  night-hunters,  though  they  carry  many  of  the 
same  weapons.  The  short,  thick,  angry  bill  with 
a  tearing  hook  on  the  end  of  it ;  feet  ending  in 
toes  curved  and  sharper  than  thorns ;  wings  long, 
strong,  and  tireless ;  eyes  that  can  see  a  hare 
from  the  height  of  a  cloud — these  are  the  royal 


THE  SKY  KING  AND  HIS  FAMILY.  99 

tools  of  the  hunters  of  the  air.  They  do  not  have 
the  help  of  the  darkness^  when  their  prey  is 
asleep. 

2.  The  bird  that  adorns  our  coat-of-arms  and 
our  silver  dollars  is  the  white-headed  or  bald  eagle0 
When  he  is  sitting  he  appears  in  size  and  weight 
like  a  small  hen-turkey  ;   but  when  he  launches 
into  the  air  and  spreads  his  wings  he  is  a  grand 
bird  —  three    feet    in    length    and    four    feet    in 
breadth.     His  head  is  not  really  bald ;   it  is  cov- 
ered with  thick  white   feathers  that   give  it  the 
look  of  an  old  man's  head.    His  feathers  above  are 
of  a  brownish-black  color,  while  his  tail   shows 
white. 

3.  The  bald-headed  eagle  loves  fish,  but  he  does 
not  like  to  catch  them.     From  some  distant  tree- 
top  he  watches  the  fish-hawk  struggling;  with  his 

J.  OO  O 

slippery  prey,  and,  when  this  weaker  brother  strikes 
off  to  some  lonely  spot  to  enjoy  his  well-earned 
meal,  the  eagle  darts  after  him  like  a  winged  hyena. 
Swifter  of  wing,  and  stronger  of  muscle,  and  hav- 
ing no  load,  he  soon  overcomes  the  hawk,  and 
makes  him  drop  the  prey,  which  he  greedily  ap- 
propriates  for  himself. 

4.  The  golden  eagle  is  a  finer,  larger  bird.    He 
is  not  often  seen  in  America.     Upon  a  high  rock 
he  builds  his  nest  or  eyrie.     It  is  roughly  laid  up, 
and  often  measures  five  feet  square.     The  eaglets 


100          NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS, 

never  number  more  than  four,  and  are  hatched  in 
thirty  days.     They  are  great  eaters,  and  to  sup 


Tke  Golden  Eagle. 


THE  SKY  RING  AND  HIS  FAMILY.  101 

ply  their  ravenous  appetites  the  old  birds  must 
work  and  rob  in  a  lively  way. 

"  He  clasps  the  crag  with  hooked  hands  ; 
Close  to  the  sun  in  lonely  lands, 
Ringed  with  the  azure  world  he  stands. 
The  wrinkled  sea  beneath  him  crawls  : 
He  watches  from  his  mountain  walls, 
And  like  a  thunderbolt  he  falls." 

5.  When  this  king  of  the  sky  is  catching  his 
own  game,  he  sails  about  in  graceful  circles  in  the 
upper  air  until  he  sees  a  sitting  hare.     Gradually 
and  slowly  he  descends,  lower  and  lower,  until  he 
is  seen  by  his  victim.     As  it  can  not  outrun  the 
eagle's  flight,  the  cunning  hunter  winds  around 
in   constantly  decreasing   circles  until,  in  an  in. 
stant,  he  folds  his  wings  and  drops  upon  his  poor, 
bewildered  prey,  and  makes  it  fast  in  his  sharp 
talons. 

6.  The  eagle  does  not  always  catch  his  prey 
with  his  beak  or  his  talons,  but  oftener  kills  it  by 
the   force   of   his   powerful   swoop — running  his 
breast-bone  against  it  like  the  keel  of  a  ship.     It 
has  been  said  that  his  direct  flight  is  at  the  rate  of 
sixty  miles  an  hour ;  but,  whatever  may  be  his 
speed,  he  can  not  overtake  the  pigeon.     Strange 
stories  are  told  about  his  warlike  encounters  with 
the   chamois  in  the  Alps ;  his  carrying  away  of 
kids  and  lambs ;  and  of  seizing  little  children  in 


102         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

his  cruel  claws   and   bearing  them  aloft   to   his 
eyrie. 

7.  In  Switzerland,  a  boy  ten  years  old  thought 
it  would  be  a  nice  thing  to  rob  an  eagle's  nest. 
And,  indeed,  if  boys  must  rob  birds'  nests,  we 
should  say  that  it  is  far  more  manly  to  invade  the 
home  of  the  eagle,  who  is  able  to  defend  himself, 
than  to  impose  upon  a  little  robin  or  sparrow. 

8.  So  our  Swiss  boy  climbed  up  by  a  danger- 
ous path  to  the  nest  of  the  eagle,  and  was  just 
grasping  the  struggling,  squeaking,  eaglets  when 
the  enraged  parent  lighted  down  upon  him,  seized 
him  in  a  tight  grip,  and  carried  him  away  six  hun- 
dred yards.     His  companions  rushed  to  his  rescue, 
and  found  him  alive  and  unhurt.     It  is  a  relief  to 
know  that  the  boy  was  saved,  and  it  may  be  that 
he  was  honestly  trying  to  avenge  the  wrongs  of 
innocent  lambs  or  kids. 

9.  Most  of  the  birds  that  hunt  in  the  air  by 
day  belong  to  the  class  called  falcons.    The  falcon 
is  a  reaping-hook,  and  the  weapons  of  these  birds 
are  quite  like  reaping-hooks.    All  of  them  carry 
the  same   tearing   beak,   and  all   have   the  same 
hooked  and  piercing  claws.     They  lay  only  from 
two  to  four  eggs  in  the  year,  and  it  is  well  for 
our  weaker  friends  in  feathers  that  these  high- 
waymen of  the  air  do  not  increase  more  rapidly. 

10.  Eagles,  buzzards,  and  hawks  are  all  falcons, 


THE  SKY  KING  AND  HIS  FAMILY.  103 

and  are  closely  related.  Of  hawks,  the  smallest  is 
the  pigeon-hawk,  not  quite  so  large  as  the  pigeon 
he  tries  to  catch.  About  the  same  size,  and  of 
the  same  general  appearance,  but  with  bright  yel- 
low legs,  is  the  sparrow-hawk.  Still  larger,  with 
his  dark-brown  upper  feathers  and  dusky  white- 
splashed  breast,  is  the  chicken-hawk — the  little  ras- 
cal that  darts  around  the  bushes  and  picks  away  a 
chick  just  after  we  have  finished  scaring  him  away. 

11.  Then  comes  the  duck-hawk,  next  larger 
than  the  chicken-hawk,  finely  feathered  with  dark 
plumes  delicately  edged  with  brown.     Next  in  size 
is   the  red-tailed  buzzard,  or  hen-hawk.      He   is 
equal  to  the  capture  of  any  member  of  the  chick- 
en-yard ;  has  an  appetite  for  quails  and  rabbits  and 
prairie-chickens ;  and  in  the  autumn  lazily  sits  for 
an  hour  at  a  time  upon  a  hay-stack  or  a  dead  tree. 

12.  The  fish-hawk  is  the  largest  of  all.     He  is 
black  and  brown,  with  white  feathers  about  his 
head,  and  is  often  mistaken  for  the  eagle,  for  whom 
he  performs  unwilling  toil.     The  kite  is  nearer  the 
size  of  the  chicken-hawk,  blacker  in  feet  and  feather, 
slim  and  delicate  in  form,  graceful  and  quick  in 
action.     He  may  be  seen  at  times  on  the  lower 
Mississippi  River,  getting  a  free  ride  on  a  dead 
mule,  and  eating  the  animal  that  carries  him. 

13.  And  now  we  will  come  back  to  the  falcon 
— the  peregrine  falcon — the  hawk  that  was  the 


104         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

shot-gun  of  the  Middle  Ages.  He  is  such  a  trim, 
gamy -looking  fellow  that  any  one  who  loves  ani- 
mals would  like  to  make  a  pet  of  him.  He  is  a 
brave  bird,  even  daring  to  snatch  from  the  sports- 
man the  game  he  has  killed.  His  life  is  long,  and 
one  is  said  to  have  been  caught  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  in  1797,  which  wore  a  golden  collar 
with  an  inscription  stating  that  in  1610  it  belonged 
to  James  I,  King  of  England. 

14.  The  falcon  was  trained  to  catch  other  birds 
as  long  ago  as  Aristotle,  three  hundred  years  B.  c. 
In  the  Middle  Ages  gentlemen  and  ladies  nearly 
always  appeared  in  public  with  falcons  sitting  on 
their   wrists.      Bishops  and  abbots  carried  them 
into  church,  leaving  them  near  the  altar  during 
service.     But  the  most  beautiful  exhibition  of  the 
falcon  was  the  hunt,  or  "  hawking,"  as  it  was  called. 
Kings  and  noblemen  were  given  to  it. 

15.  Upon  elegant  horses,  with  attendants  and 
dogs,  they  rode  to  the  field.     When  the  bird  was 
seen  flying,  or  was  started  or  "- flushed"  by  the 
dogs,  the  falcon  was  let  fly.    Then  there  was  a  chase 
in  the  air,  and,  in  the  case  of  large  birds,  a  fight. 
When  the  falcon  brought  his  game  to  the  ground, 
and  it  proved  to  be  a  troublesome  customer,  the 
dogs  at  once  lent  a  helping  paw  and  tooth.    Hawk- 
ing was  an  exciting  sport  in  those  days,  and  is 
even  nowadays  practiced  in  Persia  and  India. 


HANNAH  LOMON&S  BAIRN.  105 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
HANNAH     LOMOND'S    BAIRN. 

1.  ALMOST  all  the  people  in  the  parish  were 
taking  in  their  meadow-hay  on  the  same  day,  so 
drying  was  the  sunshine  and  the  wind,  and  huge, 
heaped-up  wains,  that  almost  hid  from  view  the 
horses  that  drew  them  along  the  sward,  were  mov- 
ing in  all  directions  toward  the  snug  farm-yards. 
Never  had  the  parish  seemed  before  so  populous. 
Jocund  was  the  balmy  air  with  laughter,  whistle, 
and  song. 

2.  But  suddenly  the  great   golden  eagle,  the 
pride  and  the  pest  of  the  parish,  swooped  down, 
and  away  with  something  in  his  talons.     One  sud- 
den female  shriek,  and  then  shouts  and  outcries, 
as  if  a  church-spire  had  tumbled  down  on  a  con- 
gregation  at   a    sacrament — "Hannah    Lomond's 
bairn  !     The  eagle  has  ta'en  off  Hannah  Lomond's 
bairn ! "  and  many  hundred  feet  were,  in  another 
instant,  hurrying  toward  the  mountain.  Two  miles 
of  hill  and  dale,  and  copse  and  shingle,  and  many 
intersecting  brooks  lay  between ;  but  in  an  incred- 
ibly short  time  the  foot  of  the  mountain  was  alive 
with  people.   The  eyrie  was  well  known,  and  both 
old  birds  were  visible  on  the  rock's  edge. 

3.  But  who  shall  scale  that  dizzy  cliff  which 


106         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

Mark  Stuart,  the  sailor,  who  had  been  at  the 
storming  of  many  a  fort,  attempted  in  vain?  All 
kept  gazing,  weeping,  and  wringing  their  hands  in 
vain,  rooted  to  the  ground,  or  running  backward 
and  forward  without  thought  or  purpose.  "  What's 
the  use,  what's  the  use  of  ony  puir  human  means  ? 
We  have  no  power  but  in  prayer ! "  and  many 
knelt  down — fathers  and  mothers,  thinking  of 
their  own  babies — as  if  they  would  force  the  deaf 
heavens  to  hear. 

4.  Hannah  Lomond    had  all  this   while  been 
sitting  on  a  rock,  with  a  face   perfectly  white,  and 
eyes,  like  those  of  a  mad  person,  fixed  on  the  eyrie. 
Nobody  had  noticed  her ;  for,  strong  as  all  sympa- 
thies with  her  had  been  at  the  swoop  of  the  eagle, 
they  were  now  swallowed  up  in  the  agony  of  eye- 
sight.    "Only  last  Sabbath  was  my  sweet  bairn 
baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost ! "  and,  on  uttering  these  words, 
she  flew  off  through  the  brakes,  and  over  the  huge 
stones,  up,  up,  up,  faster  than  ever  huntsman  ran 
into  the  death — fearless  as  a  goat  playing  among 
the   precipices.     No   one   doubted,  no  one   could 
doubt,  that  she  would  soon  be  dashed  to  pieces. 

5.  No  stop,  no  stay — she  knew  not  that  she 
drew  her  breath.      Beneath  her  feet   Providence 
fastened  every  stone,  and  to  her  hands  strength- 
ened every  root.    How  was  she  to  descend  ?    That 


HANNAH  LOMOND ]S  BAIRN.  107 

fear  but  once  crossed  her  head  as  up,  up,  up — to 
the  little  image  made  of  her  own  flesh  and  blood. 
Down  came  the  fierce  rushing  of  the  eagles'  wings, 
each  savage  bird  dashing  close  to  her  head,  so  that 

O  *— '  ' 

she  saw  the  yellow  of  their  wrathful  eyes.  All  at 
once  they  quailed  and  were  cowed ;  yelling  they 
flew  to  the  stump  of  an  ash,  a  thousand  feet  above 
the  cataract,  and  the  Christian  mother,  falling 
across  the  eyrie,  clasped  her  child — dead !  dead ! 
dead !  no  doubt,  but  unmangled  and  untorn,  and 
swaddled  up  just  as  it  was  when  she  laid  it  down 
^asleep  among  the  fresh  hay  in  a  nook  of  the  har- 
vest-field. Oh  !  what  a  pang  of  perfect  blessedness 
transfixed  her  heart  from  that  feeble  cry — "It 
lives  !  it  lives !  it  lives ! " 

6.  Where  all  this  time  was  Mark  Stuart,  the 
sailor  ?     Half  way  up  the  cliffs.     But  his  eye  had 
got  dim,  and  his  head  dizzy,  and  his  heart  sick — 
and  he,  who  had  so  often  reefed  the  topsail,  when 
at  midnight  the  coming  of  the  gale  was  heard  afar, 
covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  and  dared  look 
no  longer  on  the  swimming  heights.     "  And  who 
will  take  care  of  my  poor,  bed-ridden  mother?" 
thought  Hannah,  whose  soul,  through  the  exhaus- 
tion of  so  many  passions,  could  no  more  retain  in 
its  grasp  that  hope  which  it  had  clutched  in  de- 
spair.    A  voice  whispered,  "  God." 

7.  She  looked  around,  expecting  to  see  an  an- 


108         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

gel ;  but  nothing  moved,  except  a  dead  branch  that, 
under  it  own  weight,  broke  off  from  the  crumbling 
rock.  Her  eye,  by  some  secret  sympathy  of  her 
soul,  watched  its  fall ;  and  it  seemed  to  stop,  not 
far  off,  on  a  small  platform.  Her  child  was  bound 
within  her  bosom,  she  remembered  not  how  or 
when,  but  it  was  safe,  and,  scarcely  daring  to  open 
her  eyes,  she  slid  down  the  shelving  rocks,  and 
found  herself  on  a  small  piece  of  firm  root-bound 
soil,  with  the  tops  of  the  bushes  appearing  below. 

8.  With   fingers  suddenly  strengthened   with 
the  power  of  iron,  she  swung  herself  down  by 
briers,  and  broom,  and  heather,  and  dwarf-birch. 
Then  a  loosened  stone,  leaped  over  a  ledge,  and  no 
sound  was  heard,  so  profound  was  its  fall.     Then 
the  shingle  rattled  down  the  steep,  and  she  hesi- 
tated not  to  follow.   Her  feet  bounded  against  the 
huge  stone  that  stopped  them,  but  she  felt  no  pain. 
Her  body  was  as  callous  as  the  cliff.    Steep  as  the 
walls  of  the  house  were  now  the  sides  of  the  preci- 
pice.    But  it  was  matted  with  ivy  centuries  old, 
long  ago  dead,  and  without  a  single  green  leaf,  but 
with  thousands  of  arm-thick  stems  petrified  into 
the  rock,  and  covering  it  as  with  a  trellis.     With 
hands  and  feet  she  clung  to  that  fearful  ladder. 

9.  Turning  round  her  head  and  looking  down, 
lo !  the  whole  population  of  the  parish  on  their 
knees !  and  hush,  the  voice  of   psalms !  a  hymn, 


HANNAH  LOMON&S  BAIRN.  109 

breathing  the  spirit  of  one  united  prayer !  Sad 
and  solemn  was  the  strain,  but  nothing  dirge-like ; 
breathing  not  of  death,  but  deliverance.  Often 
had  she  sung  that  tune,  perhaps  the  very  words, 
but  them  she  heard  not,  in  her  own  hut,  she  and 
her  mother,  or  in  the  kirk  along  with  all  the  peo- 
ple. An  unseen  hand  seemed  fastening  her  fingers 
to  the  ribs  of  ivy,  and  in  sudden  inspiration,  be- 
lieving that  her  life  was  to  be  saved,  she  became 
almost  as  fearless  as  if  she  had  been  changed  into 
a  winged  creature. 

10.  Again  her  feet  touched  stones  and  earth. 
The  psalm  was  hushed,  but  a  tremulous,  sobbing 
voice  was  close  beside  her,  and  lo  !  a  she-goat  with 
two    little    kids    at    her    feet.     "Wild   heights," 
thought  she,  "  do  these  creatures  climb,  but   the 
dam  will  lead  down  her  kid  by  the  easiest  path, 
for  oh !  even  in  the  brute  creatures,  what  is  the 
holy   power  of   a   mother's    love ! "  and,  turning 
round  her  head,  she  kissed  her  sleeping  babe,  and 
for  the  first  time  she  wept. 

11.  Overhead    frowTned    the    precipice,  never 
touched  before  by  human  hand  or  foot.     No  one 
had  ever  dreamed  of  scaling  it,  and   the  golden 
eagles  knew  that  well  in  their  instinct,  as,  before 
they  built  their  eyrie,  they  had  brushed  it  with 
their  wings.     But  all  the  rest  of  this  part  of  the 
mountain-side,  though   scarred,  and   seamed,  and 


110         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

chasined,  was  yet  accessible,  and  more  than,  one 
person  in  the  parish  had  reached  the  bottom  of 
the  cliff.  Many  were  now  attempting  it ;  and  ere 
the  cautious  mother  had  followed  her  dumb  guides 
a  hundred  yards,  though  among  dangers  enough 
to  terrify  the  stoutest  heart,  yet  traversed  by  her 
without  a  shudder,  the  head  of  one  man  appeared, 
and  then  another,  and  she  knew  that  God  had 
delivered  her  and  her  child  in  safety,  into  the 
care  of  their  fellow-creatures. 

12.  Not  a  word  was  spoken — eyes  said  enough. 
She  hushed  her  friends  with  her  hands,  and  with 
uplifted  eyes  pointed  to  the  guides  sent  her  by 
Heaven.     Small  green  plats,  where  these  creatures 
nibble  the  wild   flowers,  became   now   more  fre- 
quent ;  trodden  lines,  almost  as  easy  as  sheep-paths, 
showed  that  the  dam  had  not  led  her  young  into 
danger ;  and  now  the  brushwood  dwindled  away 
into  straggling  shrubs,  and  the  party  stood  on  a 
little  eminence  above  the  stream,  and  forming  part 
of  the  strath. 

13.  There  had  been  trouble  and  agitation,  much 
sobbing,  and  many   tears,  among   the  multitude, 
while  the  mother  was  scaling  the  cliffs ;  sublime 
was  the  shout  that  echoed  afar  the  moment  she 
reached  the  eyrie ;  then  had  succeeded  a  silence 
deep  as  death ;  in  a  little  while  arose  that  hymn- 
ing prayer,  succeeded  by  mute  supplication;  the 


HANNAH  LOMON&S  BAIRN.  HI 

mildness  of  thankfulness  had  next  its  sway ;  and 
now,  that  her  salvation  was  sure,  the  great  crowd 
rustled  like  a  wind-swept  wood. 

14.  And  for  whose  sake  was  all  this  alternation 
of  agony  ?     A  poor,  humble  creature,  unknown  to 
many  even  by  name — -one  who  had  few  friends, 
nor  wished  for  more ;  contented  to  work  all  day, 
here,  there,  anywhere,  that  she  might  be  able  to 
support  her  aged  mother  and  little  child ;  and  who 
on  the  Sabbath  took  her  seat  in  an  obscure  pew, 
set  apart  for  the  paupers  in  the  kirk. 

15.  "Fall  back  and   give  her  fresh  air,"  said 
the  old  minister  of  the  parish :  and  the  circle  of 
close  faces  widened  round  her,  lying  as  in  death. 
"  Gie  the  bonny  bit  bairn  into  my  arms,"  cried  first 
one  mother,  and  then  another ;  and  it  was  tenderly 
handed  round  the  circle  of   kisses,  many  of   the 
snooded    maidens     bathing    its     face    in     tears. 
"  There's  no'  a  single  scratch  about  the  puir  inno- 
cent, for  the  eagle,  you  see,  maun  hae  struck  its 
talons  into  the  lang  claes  and  the  shawl !     Blin', 
blin',  maun  they  be  who  see  not  the  finger  of  God 
in  this  thing ! " 

16.  Hannah  started  up  from  her  swoon,  and, 
looking  wildly  round,  cried,  "Oh!  the  bird,  the 
bird,  the  eagle,  the  eagle,  the  eagle  has  carried  off 
my  bonny  wee  Walter !  Is  there  none  to  pursue  ? " 
A  neighbor  put  her  baby  into  her  arms,  and,  shut- 


112         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

ting  her  eyes  and  smiting  her  forehead,  the  sorely 
bewildered  creature  said,  in  a  low  voice,  "  Am  I 
awake  ?  Oh,  tell  me  if  I  am  awake !  or  if  a'  this 
be  the  wark  of  a  fever,  and  the  delirium  of  a 
dream ! " 

Professor  John  Wilson. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
CATS   IN    FEATHERS. 

1.  THE  spring  sun  is  beginning  to  shine  bright 
and  warm,  though  in  many  places  patches  of  snow 
still  lie  upon  the  ground ;  here  and  there  in  the 
woods  hepaticas  and  anemones  are  showing  their 
bright   faces;    and,  if   we  look   closely,  pushing 
away  the  dead  leaves  and  pine  needles,  we  may 
find   the   rosy   bunches   of   our   favorite   trailing 
arbutus.     We  must  not  shut  ourselves  indoors  this 
beautiful   day.     Let    us    have    the    lunch-basket 
brought,  packed  for  a  woodland  feast ;  and,  when 
old  Dash  is  harnessed,  start  for  a  day's  journey  of 
discovery. 

2.  As  we  drive  along  over  the  country  road,  on 
every  side  our  eyes  are  made  glad  by  the  many 
signs  of  spring.    The  alders  by  the  brook  are  drop- 
ping their  fringed  tassels,  the  red  buds  are  sprout- 
ing on  the  maples,  the  tiny  ferns  are  peeping  up 


CATS  IN  FEATHERS.  113 

by  the  side  of  the  lichen-covered  rocks,  and  the 
air  is  filled  with  the  carol  of  bird  voices. 

3.  Suddenly  we  come  to  a  standstill  just  out- 
side a   pair  of   bars  leading   into  an   old   apple- 
orchard.    We  clinib  down  from  the  "  high  wagon," 
our  red  setter,  Grouse,  as  usual  leading  the  way. 
The  two  children  of  the  party  are  most  anxious  to 
know  what  can  be  found  in  so  lonely  a  spot.     Pa- 
tience is  enjoined.     Then  our  naturalist  gives  his 
orders.     Each    of   us   is    assigned   a  row  of   the 
gnarled  trees,  which  we  are  told  to  examine,  and, 
finding  a  rotten  hole  or  cavity,  to  look  carefully 
into  its  depths  and  report  what  we  may  discover. 

4.  The   children   set    about   the    search   with 
great    earnestness.      All   work    in    silence    save 
Grouse,  who,  finding  his  master  engaged,  is  sniffing 
eagerly  about  the  field,  hoping  to  start  some  game 
for  his  own  amusement.    Now  a  shout  comes  from 
one  of  the  children,  "  I  have  found  a  hole,  and 
see  something  shining  and  woolly  in  the  bottom." 
Leaving  our  own  trees,  we  look  into  the  cavity, 
and  see  the  something  "  shining  and  woolly,"  but 
what  it  is  we  vainly  guess. 

5.  Now  it  is  the  turn  for  our  leader ;  and  he, 
after  one  quick  look,  puts  his  hand  into  the  hole, 
and  pulls  out,  by  one  wing,  a  fluttering,  struggling, 
frightened    little    red    owl.      At    first   it    seems 
stunned  by  the  sudden  change,  from  darkness  to 


114         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

light,  but  quickly  its  eyes  fly  wide  open,  and  its 
claws   clutch    at    its     keeper's    finger.      He,   be- 
ing an  old  hand  at  the  busi- 
ness, knows  how  to  hold  the 
little  savage  firmly  while  we 

II  examine  it. 

III  6.  And  what  do  we  see  ! 
jif    A  bird  about  the  size  of  a 

quail,  covered  with  soft,  fluffy 
feathers.    It  has  a  large,  cat- 
The  speech  Owl.          like  head,  defined  by  a  ruff 
of  feathers,  large,  round  yel- 
low eyes,  and  tufts  on  either  side  of  the  head  that 
look  like  ears.     Our  instructor  pushes  away  these 
tufts,  and  shows  us  a  curious   opening  into  the 
head,  which  is  the  true  ear,  and  he  tells  us  that 
owls  are  the  only  birds  provided  with  an  external 
ear.     The  bill  or  beak  we  see  is  sharp  and  hooked, 
reminding  us  of   the   hawks  and  vultures.     The 
legs  are  covered  with  feathers  to  the  toes,  and  the 
claws  are  long,  much  curved,  and  extremely  sharp. 

7.  Another   plunge  of   the   hand   brings   out 
another  owl,  and  then  come  one,  two,  three,  four, 
five  round  white  eggs.     These   last   are   packed 
with  cotton  in  a  tin  box,  and  placed  in  a  basket 
with  the  two  owls,  whom  the  children  have  al- 
ready named  "  Tweedledum  "  and  "  Tweedledee." 

8.  As  we  are  about   turning  to  take   a  final 


CATS  IN  FEATHERS.  H5 

look  before  again  starting,  Grace  calls  our  atten- 
tion to  several  curious  balls  lying  near  the  foot  of 
the  tree.  Again  we  learn  that,  like  other  birds  of 
prey,  the  owl,  having  fed  on  a  mouse  or  small  bird, 
and  swallowed  it  whole,  after  a  meal  ejects  from 
his  mouth,  in  the  form  of  a  pellet,  the  bones,  hair, 
and  other  indigestible  substances. 

9.  Several    orchards    are   visited   during    the 
morning.     When  noon  arrives,  we  seat  ourselves 
for  dinner  on  a  dry,  sunny,  south  slope,  near  a  run- 
ning brook,  from  which  we   gather   crisp  water- 
cresses,  which  give  an  added  relish  to  our  meal. 
Counting   over  our  spoils,  we   find    ourselves   in 
possession  of  eight  sets  of  eggs  and  four  old  birds 
for  the  museum,  and  two  tiny  puff-balls  of  owlets 
for  our  own  special  pets. 

10.  During  our  sylvan  meal,  and  on  our  way 
home,  we  ply  our  bird-lover  with  questions  about 
owls,  as  he  has  seen  and  studied  them ;  and  this,  in 
substance,  is  what  he  tells  us :  Best  known  to  the 
world,  through  song  and  story,  is  the  barn  owl. 
The  old  ruined  castle-towers,  that  everywhere  in 
Europe  rise  to  view,  are  the  chosen  haunts  of  this 
well-known  species,  and  nightly  its  mournful  cry 
is  often  the  cause  of  alarm  to  foolish  and  supersti- 
tious people  returning  late  at  night  to  their  homes. 

11.  Our  barn  owl  is  smaller  than  his  European 
cousin,  and  is  found  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 


116 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


It  is  of  a  bright  tawny  hue,  about  eighteen  inches 
in  length,  with  a  wing-extent  of  from  two  to  five 


The  Barn  Owl. 

feet.  It  has  no  ear-tufts,  but  around  each  eye  a 
"  facial  disk  "  of  feathers  makes  its  stare  more  cat- 
like. The  eggs,  from  five  to  six  in  number,  are  de- 
posited in  rude  nests  in  holes  in  rocks,  walls,  and 
old  trees.  It  feeds  on  small  vermin  like  rats  and 
mice,  and  so  proves  a  true  friend  of  the  farmer. 


CATS  Ifr  FEATHERS. 


117 


12.  The  horned  owls  are  so  called  because  of 
the  pair  of  feathery  tufts  on  the  top  of  the  head, 
They  are  also  called  cat  owls.     Our  little  friend 
of   the  morning   is  a   horned   owl   in  miniature, 
though   he  is  called  a  screech  owl.     The   great 
horned  owl  is  about  two  feet  in  length,  with  an 
extent  of  wings  of  from  four  to  six  feet.     The 
general  color  above  is   brown,  with   throat   and 
neck  white,  and 

breast  striped 
with  black.  He 
looks  like  a  fine 
old  general, 
stately,  coura- 
geous, and  ready 
for  anything 
that  may  hap- 
pen. 

13.  This  owl 
makes    a    great 
variety        of 
sounds.     At  one 

time  he  will  startle  us  by  barking  like  a  dog,  at 
another  he  will  utter  notes  like  half-suppressed 
screams,  and  again  will  break  out  into  a  low,  fiend- 
ish yell.  He  commits  great  havoc  in  the  farm- 
yard, seizing  all  kinds  of  poultry,  and  preys  also 
upon  grouse,  ducks,  squirrels,  and  opossums.  The 


The  Great  Horned  Owl. 


118         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

crows  are  his  sworn  enemies,  and,  when  an  owl  is 
found  during  the  day  crouched  against  the  limb 
of  a  tree,  they  all  go  at  him,  and  with  bill  and 
claw,  flap  of  wing  and  harsh  cry,  proceed  to 
make  his  life  miserable.  Thus,  in  a  measure, 
they  retaliate  for  the  torture  he  inflicts  on  other 
creatures. 

14.  The  gray  owls  make  another  group.    They 
have   immense   heads,  smallish  eyes,  and  no  ear- 
tufts.     The  barred  owl,  a  member  of  this  group, 
is  striped  up  and   down  his  light-colored   breast 
and  sides  with  bars  of  dark  brown.     "A  quaint 
and  lively  bird ;  its  actions  look  like  antics.     He 
has  queer  ways  for  an  owl.     In  the  deep  woods, 
and  in  broad  daylight,  when  all  owldom  is  abed, 
he  will  set  up  his  comical  half  laugh,  half  cry." 
He  is  well  called  the  buffoon  of  the  woods. 

15.  A  much  graver  person,  and  the  giant  of 
American  owls,  is  the  great  gray  owl.     His  length 
is  thirty  inches.     His  cry  is  not  unlike  that  of  the 
screech  owl.    The  little  saw-whet,  or  Acadian  owl, 
belonging  to  this  group,  is  the  smallest  member  of 
the   family.     It  is  about  eight   inches   long,  and 
makes  a  noise  like  the  filing  of  the  teeth  of  a  saw. 

16.  But  the  smallest  of  the  owl  kind  I  have 
ever  seen  is  Whitney's  owl  of  Arizona,  discovered 
by  an  army  officer.     I  have  many  delightful  mem- 
ories of  the  days  spent  with  a  pleasant  party  in 


CATS  IN  FEATHERS. 


119 


the  sunny  land  where  this  bird  has  its  home.  In 
places  the  hill-sides  and  plains  are  covered  thick 
with  the  giant  cactus — large,  fleshy  stalks,  growing 
into  immense  trees,  without  leaves  and  almost 
without  branches. 

17.  Woodpeckers  easily  make  their  way 
through  the  outer  skin  of  these  huge  plants,  and 
build  a  cozy  nest  in 
the  soft  fiber  inside. 
When  these  nests  are 
deserted,  they  afford  a 
home  for  the  little  owl. 
We  had  often  seen 
these  holes  with  the 
small  housekeeper  at 
the  door,  but  he  van- 
ished as  we  came  near. 
Now,  what  was  to.  be 
done  ?  The  holes  were 
too  high  to  be  reached 
from  below,  no  branch- 
es afforded  a  foothold 
for  climbing,  and  the 
whole  column  was  arm- 
ed with  cruel  spines, 
which  entered  the  flesh  at  the  least  touch.  But 
numerous  failures  sharpened  our  wits.  We 
brought  from  our  camp  a  ladder,  made  in  sec- 


The  Giant  Cactus,  the  Home  of 
WUtnetfs  Owl. 


120         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

tions ;  and  this  we  put  together,  the  top  reaching 
twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground. 

18.  The   attack   began.     One   of    the    party, 
wearing  a  hatchet  at  the  belt,  mounted  the  lad- 
der.    A  few  strokes  make  a  hole  large  enough  for 
the  hand  to  enter,  and  a  capture  is  made  of  both 
the  birds  and  the  eggs.     One  day's  search  brings 
home  a  rich  harvest  for  our  distant  museum. 

19.  One  more  group,  the  day  owls,  must  be 
mentioned.    They  hunt  in  the  daytime,  and  in  th,e 
morning  and  evening  twilight.     To  this  group  be- 
longs the  beautiful  great  snowy  owl  of  the  North. 
Its  usual  white  coat    is  sometimes  specked  with 
black.    It  is  rapid  in  flight,  and,  falcon-like,  strikes 
ducks,  grouse,  and  pigeons  on  the  wing,  and  seizes 
hares  from  the  ground,  and  fish  from  shallows. 

20.  Driving  home  in  the  warm  afternoon  sun, 
the  children  nodding  on  their  seats,  our  naturalist 
concludes  by  dreamily  quoting  from  John  Bur- 
roughs :  "All  the  ways  of  the  owl  are  ways  of  soft- 
ness and   duskiness.     His   wings   are  shod  with 
silence — his  plumage  is  edged  with  down." 


POLLY  AND  HER  KIK  121 

CHAPTER   XX. 
POLLY   AND    HER    KIN. 

1.  WE  have  become  so  well  acquainted  with 
polly  in  her  cage,  or  on  her  perch,  or  sitting  in  the 
shop- window,  that  she  seems  to  be  one  of  us,  and 
we  seldom  think  or  ask  where  she  came  from.  We 
must,  therefore,  follow  the  parrot  to  its  home  in 
South  America,  where  we  shall  find  the  macaw — 
the  large   parrot,  with   long,  tapering   tail,   and 
bright  red,  blue,  green,  and  black  colors.     There 
we  shall  find  these  birds  of  exquisite  feather  more 
numerous  than  blackbirds  about  our  swamps. 

2.  And  here,  in  their  native  woods,  too,  these 
"pollies"    keep    up    an    incessant    talking   and 
laughing,  all  in  their  own  language.     The  great 
Humboldt,  who  has  told   so  much  about   South 
America,  says  it  is  necessary  to  have  lived  in  the 
hot  valleys  of  the   Andes  to  believe  that   "the 
shrieking  of  the  parrots  actually  drowns  the  roar 
of  the  mountain  torrents."    . 

3.  Or  we  may  visit  the  home  of  the  gray  par- 
rot, with  its  tail  of  deep  red,  on  the  western  coast 
or  in  the  interior  of  Africa.     Here  there  will  be 
the  same   jolly,  great,  happy  family,  all  talking, 
and  perhaps  vieing  with  the  monkeys  in  climbing 
the   trees.     In  their   original   home,  parrots   are 


122 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


clean  birds.  They  rise  early  in  the  morning,  get 
their  breakfast  of  fruit  or  nuts,  then  take  a  bath, 
and  return  to  the  trees,  where  they  smooth  down 
their  gaudy  dresses,  and  sit  and  sleep  during  the 
hot  day. 


The  Gray  Parrot. 


4.  The  green  parrot  learns  to  talk  in  the  lan- 
guage of  men,  but  not  so  well  as  the  gray  parrot. 


POLLY  AND  HER  KIN.  123 

Indeed,  polly  is  not  only  a  great  climber,  but  it  is 
so  good  an  imitator  that  we  must  call  it  a  monkey 
in  feathers.  The  beak  of  the  parrot  is  unlike  that 
of  any  other  bird.  How  odd  it  is — the  upper  part 
turning  down  like  a  hook,  and  the  under  part 
shaped  like  a  cup.  By  this  beak,  polly  hooks  on 
to  a  limb  and  pulls  herself  up  so  that  she  can 
catch  it  with  her  foot,  which  has  two  toes  in  front 
and  two  behind.  By  her  beak  she  can  crack  the 
hardest  nuts,  and  on  this  account  is  called  a 
"  cracker." 

5.  These  bird-talkers  have  done  some  wonder- 
ful talking  with  their  bills  and  thick  tongues.    In 
the  sixteenth  century  a  cardinal  paid  a  hundred 
crowns  for  a  parrot  that  could  repeat  the  Apos- 
tles' Creed  correctly.     Another   parrot  could  act 
as  chaplain  on  board  of  a  ship,  by  repeating  the 
Lord's  Prayer.     In  the  year  1822  there  was  a  par- 
rot living  in  London  who  sang  a  number  of  songs 
in  perfect  time  and  tune.     She  could  ask  for  what 
she  wanted  as  nicely  as  could  any  human  being. 

6.  Is  polly  a  mere  imitator,  or  does  she  under- 
stand what  she  learns  ?     Some  singular  facts  may 
help  to  answer  this  question.     There  was  once  in 
England  a  parrot  which  was  able  to  speak  both  in 
English  and  Portuguese ;  and,  when  addressed  in 
either  of  these  tongues,  its  reply  was  in  the  lan- 
guage of   the  speaker.     Another  one,  in  the  hot 


124:         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

weather  enjoyed  having  water  poured  over  her, 
and  when  she  was  satisfied  would  say,  "That's 
enough."  The  same  accomplished  bird  would  sing 
and  dance ;  and,  if  a  stranger  came  into  the  kitchen, 
polly  would  cry  out,  "  Somebody's  wanted,"  or 
ask,  "  What's  your  business  ? " 

7.  There  was  once  a  parrot  in  Boston  that  had 
been  taught  to  whistle  for  a  dog.     One  day,  when 
he  was  tuning  up  his  whistle,  a  dog  happened  to 
be  passing  by,  and,  thinking  he  heard  a  familiar 
call,  started  toward  the  cage  of  the  parrot,  when 
the  bird  roughly  shouted,  "  Get  out,  you  brute  ! " 
The  dog  ran  at  once,  leaving  the  parrot  to  enjoy 
the  joke. 

8.  The   little   parrakeet   of    South   Africa  is 
thought  to  be  the  handsomest  of   all  the  parrot 
tribe.     It  has  an  emerald-green  body,  a  deep-red 
beak,  a  rose-colored  ring  round  its  neck,  and  two 
long  tail-feathers  of  brilliant  blue.     It  is  graceful, 
lively,  gentle,  and  a  good  talker.     One  of  these 
ringed  parrakeets,  if  told  to  call   the  cat,  would 
either  "  mew "  loudly,  or  use  the  cat's  name.     It 
would  also  play  hide-and-seek,  and,  if  the  mistress 
hid  under  the  table,  the  bird  would  knock  on  the 
table  several  times  to  induce  her  to  come  out. 

9.  Our  own  North  America  is  the  native  home 
of  a  very  pretty  parrot,  called  the  Carolina  parra- 
keet.    It  is  small,  and  its  coat  is  mainly  of  a  pleas- 


POLLY  AND  HER  KIN.  125 

ing  green  color.  A  golden  collar  adorns  its  neck, 
and  its  wings  are  olive  green  with  yellow  tips.  In 
flocks  it  has  been  seen  as  far  north  as  the  Ohio 
River,  and  individuals  were  formerly  met  still  far- 
ther to  the  north.  A  great  destroyer  of  grain- 
crops,  it  has  made  sore  enemies,  in  spite  of  its 
pretty  ways  and  its  talent  for  talk. 

10.  Wilson,  the  lover  of  birds,  captured  one  of 
these  parrots  that  had  been  slightly  wounded  in 
the  wing.     He  carried  it  in  his  boat  and  on  land, 
wrapped  in  a  handkerchief,  a  thousand  miles,  when 
he  arrived  at   the  country  of  the  Chickasaw  In- 
dians.    These  people  recognized  in  the  feathered 
traveler  an  old  friend,  and  it  became  a  bond  of 
friendship  between  them  and  its  master. 

11.  The   bird   sighed    for   a   companion,   and 
called  to  the  wild  parrakeets  that  flew  by  its  cage. 
A  looking-glass  was  placed  before  it,  in  which  its 
own  form  was  reflected,  and   it  appeared   to  be 
satisfied.     At  night  it  would  lay  its  head  against 
the  image  in  the  glass  and  whisper  some  gentle 
note.    Very  tame  at  length  it  became,  and  learned 
to  speak  its  own  name. 

12.  An  interesting  parrot,  found  in  Australia 
and   the  adjacent   tropical  islands,  is   called   the 
cockatoo.      The  note  it  utters  is  something  like 
"  cockatoo  " ;  whence  its  name.     Upon  the  head  it 
carries  a  crest  of  brilliant  feathers,  which  can  be 


126         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

set  up  or  laid  down  as  it  may  choose.  Gathered 
in  large  flocks,  this  species  presents  a  beautiful 
appearance  by  the  variety  of  the  colors  of  its 
plumage.  The  disposition  of  the  cockatoo  is 
gentle,  and  it  learns  to  talk  and  form  words  into 
phrases. 

13.  The  cockatoo,  by  the  mischief   it  makes, 
creates  enemies.     The  natives  remember  the  plun- 
der of  their  crops  with  anything  but  kindness.   So 
they  hunt  and  kill  the  cockatoo.     They  have  no 
guns,  but  use  a  weapon  called  a  boomerang.    This 
weapon  is  made  of  wood,  and  is  shaped  like  a 
sickle.     When  thrown,  it  flies  in  many  circles,  and 
in  a  winding  path.    A  great  flock  of  cockatoos,  sit- 
ting on  the  trees  near  a  body  of  water,  is  slyly 
approached  by  the  hunters.   When  the  birds  rise  in 
a   body,   the   boomerangs   are   hurled,  one   after 
another,  among  them,  and  large  numbers  drop  to 
the   ground  with    broken  necks  or  wings.      The 
cockatoo,  like  other  parrots,  is  tamed  and  petted. 

14.  A  cockatoo  was  once  trained  to  act  a  little 
scene  in  company  with  a  Newfoundland  dog.  The 
dog  would  sit  up  quietly,  while  the  bird  would 
walk  up  his  back,  over  his  head,  out  on  the  end 
of   his  nose,  and  make  a  bow  to  the  spectators. 
Then  the  bird  flew  to  its  master's  hand,  while  the 
dog  picked  up  a  hat,  and  passed  it  around  for  con- 
tributions to  a  fund  raised  for  a  humane  society. 


TREE-  CLIMBERS. 


127 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

TREE-CLIMBERS. 

1.  "  WHAT  !  Do  you  call  the  woodpecker  a 
friend  in  feathers  ?  You  do  ?  Well,  well !  May  be 
he  is  a  friend  to  you  book-folks ;  you  have  a  very 
soft  way  of  looking  at 
everything  that  seems 
pretty  about  you.  But 
you  just  turn  farmer 


once,    and     then     see 


whether  this  little  red- 
headed rascal  is  a  friend 
to  you.  Pretty  friend 
in  feathers  !  If  I  could, 
I'd  hang  every  wood- 
pecker in  the  land.  I 
tell  the  boys  to  rob 
every  nest  they  can 
find.'" 

2.  So  said  our  farm- 
er •  neighbor,  when  it 
was  gently  suggested 
to  him  that  the  woodpecker  is  his  true  friend. 
"  But  what  does  the  red-headed  rascal  do,  neigh- 
bor, that  brings  him  your  ill  will  ? "  "  Do  ?  Why, 
lie's  an  everlasting  thief  and  robber.  He  steals 


The   Woodpecker. 


128         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

our  cherries,  apples,  pears,  and  strips  the  husks 
from  our  growing  corn,  and  hammers  the  apple- 
trees  full  of  holes.  There  ought  to  be  a  law,  as 
there  was  in  old  times,  giving  four  cents  a  head 
for  every  dead  woodpecker." 

3.  Perhaps  there  is  a  good  deal  of  truth  in 
what  our  neighbor  has  said ;  but  we  must  give  the 
accused  "  rascal "  a  chance  to  be  heard  before  he 
is  condemned.     First,  however,  let  us  follow  the 
boy-farmer  in  his  exploit  to  rob  the  red-head's  nest. 
He  has  found  the  tree  in  which  the  nest  is,  for  it 
is  easy  enough  to  find  the  woodpecker's  hole  in  a 
dry,  bare  tree.     He  pulls  off  his  boots,  moistens 
his  hands,  and  hitches  and  puffs  up  the  trunk  of 
the  tree. 

4.  There  is  a  naked  limb,  fortunately,  right 
over  the  hole ;  it  is  very  slender  and  partly  de- 
cayed, but  a  boy  can  afford  to  risk  his  neck  to  rob 
a  nest,  and  especially  the  nest  of  a  rascal  that  robs 
his  father.     So  he  sits  on  the  limb,  and  holds  fast 
with  one  hand  while  he  bends  over  and  softly 
passes  the  other  hand  into  the  hole.     Scarcely  has 
it  entered  as  far  as  the  wrist  when  out  comes  the 
hand  as  quickly  as  if  it  had  been  bitten,  and  the 
boy  slides  down  the  tree  much  more  briskly  than 
he  went  up. 

5.  Just  look  at  that  boy !     How  pale  he  is  ! 
And  his  hands,  how  they  are  scratched.     What 


TREE-CLIMBERS.  129 

was  the  matter  ?  Did  the  red  rascal  drive  his  bill 
into  him  ?  No  ;  worse  than  that.  He  put  his  hand 
on  a  snake ;  and  that  is  the  reason  why  he  turned 
so  white,  and  slid  down  so  hastily,  and  now 
sulks  away  to  his  home,  saying,  "  You  won't  catch 
me  trying  to  rob  a  red-head's  nest  again." 

6.  The  woodpecker,  then,  not  only  has  the  farm- 
er for  an  enemy,  but  his  boy,  and  the  black  snake 
too,  who,  having  surmised  that  the  boy  would  soon 
make  his  annual  visit  to  the  nest,  has  got  ahead  of 
him,  and  is  enjoying  a  feast  on  six  little  white  eggs, 
in  a  house  that  has  cost  a  great  deal  of  hard  labor 
to  build.    Well,  suppose  the  woodpecker  does  steal 
the  fruit,  and  bore  holes  in  the  living  trees ;  does 
he  not,  on  the  whole,  do  a  great  deal  more  good 
than  harm  ? 

7.  We  must  watch  these  abused  friends  and 
become  better  acquainted  with  them.     They  are 
birds  of  very  fine  feather.     Do  you  not  know  the 
little  downy  woodpecker,  black   and  white,  and 
smallest  of  all  ?    And  the  hairy  woodpecker,  a  little 
larger,  and  with  almost  the  same  variegated  coat  ? 
And  the  yellow-bellied,  and  red-breasted,  and  gold- 
en-wing, with  crimson  crowns  or  necks,  and  soft 
gray  feathers,  exquisitely  penciled  with  white  or 
gold?     These,  though  not  so  mischievous  as  the 
red-head,  sometimes  taste  fruit.     Woodpeckers  are 
good  judges  of  fruit.    When  they  test  the  farmer's 


130         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

cherries  or  apples,  they  are  sure  to  sample  the  best 
and  the  ripest. 

8.  But  suppose  the  woodpeckers  were  all  mur- 
dered or  banished :  what  then  would  become  of 
the  trees  and  the  fruit  left  to  the  mercy  of  cater- 
pillars and  bugs  and  worms  ?    These  insects  do  far 
more  mischief  than  the  birds  do  that  live  chiefly 
on  them,  and,  when  we  have  given  the  woodpecker 
a  fair  trial,  our  judgment  must  be  that  he  deserves 
all  the  fruit  he  gets  for  the  good  he  does. 

9.  See  what  a  splendid   carpenter  the  wood- 
pecker is.     He  needs  no  scaffold.     His  little  feet 
have  two  toes  with  sharp  claws  in  front  and  two 
behind,  so  that  he  can  cling  to  the  bark  of  the 
tree,  with  his  head  up  or  down.     His  tail-feathers 
are  stiff  and  help  to  hold  him  up.    His  bill  is  long, 
straight,  and  so  formed  as  to  be  pick-axe,  auger, 
chisel,  and  hammer.     His  tongue  is  a  still  more 
wonderful  tool.     He  has  in  his  head  a  little  ma- 
chine by  which  he  can  push  it  out  far  beyond  the 
end  of  his  bill.    And  on  the  end  of  this  tongue  are 
little  fine  points,  like  the  barb  of  a  fish-hook. 

10.  So,  with  this  fish-hook  tongue,  the  wood- 
pecker can  pierce  and  draw  from  the  tree,  even 
beyond  the  reach  of  his  bill,  a  worm  or  grub ;  and 
if  the  insect  is  too  small  to  catch  in  this  way,  he 
has  a  gum,  or  sticky  liquid,  that  flies  to  the  end  of 
his  tongue  and  glues  the  game  to  it.     And  he  is  a 


VERSITY 


TREE-CLIMBERS. 

great  worker.  No  other  bird  works  so  hard  or  has 
so  tough  a  muscle.  From  daybreak  to  dark  he 
hammers  away,  his  little  mate  now  and  then  taking 
his  place  and  giving  him  a  rest. 

11.  The  woodpecker  is  a  skilled  worker.     He 
knows  by  the  looks  of  the  bark  where  the  worm 
is ;  or,  if  in  doubt,  he  taps  with  his  hammer  until 
he  strikes  the  place  that  sounds  hollow.     To  build 
his  nest,  he  cuts  a  smooth,  round  hole,  inclined  a 
little  upward  to  keep  the  rain  out,  and  then  down 
lengthwise  of  the  tree,  sometimes  five  inches  deep. 
He  has  no  delicious  song  with  which  to  charm  his 
mate.     His  music  is  made  by  the  noise  of  his  bill 
rapping  on  a  hard,  hollow  tree. 

12.  "Another  trait  our  woodpeckers  have  that 
endears  them  to  me,"  says  Mr.  Burroughs,  "  is  their 
habit  of  drumming  in  the  spring.     They  are  song- 
less  birds,  and  yet  are  all  musicians ;  they  make  the 
dry  limbs  eloquent  of  the  coming  change.   Did  you 
think  that  loud,  sonorous  hammering,  which  pro- 
ceeded from  the  orchard  or  from  the  near  woods, 
on  that  still  March  or  April  morning,  was  only 
some  bird  getting  its  breakfast  ?     It  is  downy,  but 
he  is  not  rapping  at  the  door  of  a  grub ;  he  is  rap- 
ping at  the  door  of  spring,  and  the  dry  limb  thrills 
beneath  the  ardor  of  his  blows. 

13.  "  Or,  later  in  the  season,  in  the  dense  forest, 
or  by  some  remote  mountain  lake,  does  that  meas- 


132         NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

ured  rhythmic  beat  that  breaks  upon  the  silence- 
first  three  strokes  following  each  other  rapidly, 
succeeded  by  two  louder  ones  with  longer  intervals 
between  them,  and  that  has  an  effect  upon  the  alert 
ear  as  if  the  solitude  itself  had  at  last  found  a 
voice — does  that  suggest  anything  less  than  a  de- 
liberate musical  performance  ?  In  fact,  our  wood- 
peckers are  just  as  much  drummers  as  is  the  ruff ed 
grouse,  and  they  have  their  particular  limbs  and 
stubs  to  which  they  resort  for  that  purpose.  Their 
need  of  expression  is  apparently  just  as  great  as 
that  of  song-birds,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  they 
should  have  found  out  that  there  is  music  in  a  dry, 
seasoned  limb,  which  can  be  evoked  beneath  their 
beaks. 

14.  "  The  past  spring  a  downy  woodpecker  be- 
gan to  drum  early  in  March  on  a  partly-decayed 
apple-tree  that  stands  on  the  edge  of  a  narrow  strip 
of  woodland  near  me.  His  drum  was  the  stub  of 
a  dry  limb  about  the  size  of  one's  wrist.  The  heart 
was  decayed  and  gone,  but  the  outer  shell  was  hard 
and  resonant.  The  bird  would  keep  his  position 
there  for  an  hour  at  a  time.  Between  his  drum- 
mings  he  would  preen  his  plumage  and  listen  as  if 
for  the  drum  of  some  rival.  How  swift  his  head 
would  go  when  he  was  delivering  his  blows  upon 
the  limb  !  His  beak  wore  the  surface  perceptibly. 
When  he  wished  to  change  the  key,  which  was 


TREE-CLIMBERS.  133 

quite  often,  lie  would  shift  his  position  an  inch  or 
two  to  a  knot  which  gave  out  a  higher,  shriller 
note." 

15.  Largest  of  all  his  tribe  is  the  ivory-billed 
woodpecker.     A  splendid  bird  is  he,  with  a  scarlet 
crest  upon  his  head.     The  forests  and  marshes  of 
the  West  and  South  are  his  home,  and  his  work  is 
shown  by  great  heaps  of  chips  that  fall  at  the  roots 
of  the  pine  and  cypress  trees  upon  which  he  works. 
Among  the  Indians  he  is  regarded  as  a  hero  for  his 
labor,  and  they  wear  the  head  of  the  ivory-billed 
woodpecker  for  a  charm. 

16.  There  are  other  birds  that  have  the  climb- 
ing   feet    like   the 

woodpecker,  but 
they  do  not  in  the 
same  manner  search 
for  food.  The  tou- 
can, of  South  Amer- 
ica, is,  in  some  re- 
spects, like  the 
woodpecker,  but  its 
bill  looks  like  a 
huge,  overgrown 
nose,  and  is  soft 

-,  T.    .  The  Toucan. 

and  spongy.     It  is 

not  a  worker  like  its  cousin  we  have  been  reading 

about,  but  uses  other  birds'  holes  to  make  its  nest 


134:         NEIGHBORS  WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

in,  and  gets  its  food  as  easily  as  it  can.  But  its 
plumage  is  beautiful  and  soft,  and  is  used  for 
ladies'  muffs. 

17.  Cuckoos   are   related  to  woodpeckers  by 
their  feet,  but  they  have  different  habits  of  life. 
The  ground  or  California   cuckoo,  or  chapparal 
cock,  is  a  fine-looking  bird,  nearly  as  large  as  the 
crow,  with  glossy  and  variegated  green  feathers, 
shy,  and  swifter  on  its  feet  than  the  horse.     The 
European  cuckoo  is  the  cuckoo  of  the  poets  and  of 
song.     It  is  the  harbinger  of  spring.     But  there 
are  some  queer  things  to  be  said  about  it. 

18.  This  cuckoo  lays  her  eggs  at  too  long  in- 
tervals to  be  hatched  at  the  same  time.     So  what 
does  she  do  ?     She  lays  her  eggs  in  other  birds' 
nests,  one  in  each  nest,  or,  laying  them  on  the 
ground,  carries  them  in  her  bill  and  deposits  them 
in  these  nests.     So  Mrs.  Wren  or  Mrs.  Bluebird, 
or  some  other  patient  sitter,  hatches  out  the  young 
cuckoo  and  rears  him.     But  when  the  little  wretch 
has  grown  big  enough  he  tumbles  his  step  brothers 
and  sisters  out  of  their  home. 

19.  The  American  cuckoo  does  no  such  strange 
things.     She  builds  her  own  nest,  and  hatches  and 
broods  her  young  like  a  good,  faithful  mother. 
About  the  size  of  a  turtle-dove,  she  is  clothed  in 
Quaker  brown,  and  is  a  deft,  sprightly  bird.     The 
simple  note,  coo,  coo,  coo,  from  the  thicket,  an- 


TREE-CLIMBERS.  135 

nounces  the  presence  of  the  male,  and,  when  it  is 
most  clamorous,  is  taken  as  a  sign  of  approaching 
rain. 

THE    CUCKOO. 

1.  O  blithe  comer !  I  have  heard, 

I  hear  thee  and  rejoice. 
O  cuckoo  !  shall  I  call  thee  bird, 
Or  but  a  wandering  voice  ? 

2.  While  I  am  lying  on  the  grass, 

Thy  loud  note  smites  my  ear ! 
From  hill  to  hill  it  seems  to  pass 
At  once  far  off  and  near. 

3.  I  hear  thee  babbling  to  the  vale, 

Of  sunshine  and  of  flowers ; 
^  And  unto  me  thou  bring'st  a  tale 

Of  visionary  hours. 

4.  Thrice  welcome,  darling  of  the  spring ! 

Even  yet  thou  art  to  me 
No  bird,  but  an  invisible  thing — 
A  voice,  a  mystery. 

5.  The  same  whom  in  my  boyhood  days 

I  listened  to ;  the  cry 
Which  made  me  look  a  thousand  ways 
In  bush,  and  tree,  and  sky. 


136         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

6.  To  seek  thee  did  I  often  rove 

Through  woods  and  on  the  green  ; 
And  thou  wert  still  a  hope,  a  love ; 
Still  longed  for,  never  seen ! 

7.  And  I  can  listen  to  thee  yet ; 

Can  lie  upon  the  plain 
And  listen,  till  I  do  beget 
That  golden  time  again. 

Wordsworth. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 
DIVERS   OF  THE   AIR. 

1.  ALONG  the  quiet,  shady  brooks,  where  bend- 
ing willows  gently  touch  the  still  water,  or  perched 
upon  the  scraggy  top  of  some  tall  tree  that  leans 
over  a  woody  river — there  we  may  see  the  king- 
fisher.    He  deserves  his  name,  for  he  has  a  royal 
look.     Upon  his  head  he  wears  a  kingly  crest,  and 
shades  of  blue  glimmer  on  his  back,  making  a 
showy  contrast  with  the  white,  thick,  oily  plumage 
below,  and  the  white  collar  about  his  neck. 

2.  A   royal   sportsman   is   this   kingfisher,   as 
weary,  luckless  boys  well  know,  who  have  watched 
him  as  he  stands,  still  as  a  statue,  on  some  stone  or 
overhanging  bough,  and  then  shoots  down  like  a 


DIVERS  OF  THE  AIR. 


137 


meteor  and  carries  off  the  fish  which  was  nibbling 
away  at  their  baits.     "  Oh,  if  we  could  only  catch 
fish  like   him!" 
sigh  these  droop- 
ing boys,  as  they 
bait   and  throw 
their  hooks,  and 
jerk,    and    won- 
der, and  scold  at 
crafty  perch  or 
chubs,     because 
they  will  not  be    -j 
caught.      But  it 

is     SerioUS     busi-  The  Belted  Kingfisher. 

ness  with  our  bird,  for  he  must  get  his  fish,  or 
starve  ;  while  our  disappointed  boys  are  only  fish- 
ing for  fun. 

3.  Mr.  Darwin  says  the  kingfisher  always  beats 
his  fish  before  he  swallows  it,  to  express  his  emo- 
tions.    His  emotions  must  be  lively  ones,  and  we 
may  wonder  what  they  can  be.    Is  it  because  he  is 
glad,  or  because  he  is  hungry,  that  he  takes  a  perch 
by  the  tail  and  lashes  him  first  on  one  side  and 
then  on  the  other  of  the  limb  of  a  tree  ?    It  is  said 
that  in  the  zoological  gardens  where  he  is  confined 
he  treats  his  beefsteak  in  the  same  way. 

4.  Now,  we  will  leave  Mr.  Darwin  to  settle  the 
matter  of  emotions,  but  we  must  conclude  that  the 


138         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

kingfisher  beats  his  fish  for  the  same  reason  that  a 
cook  beats  his  steak — because  it  is  tough.  A  perch 
has  very  angry  fins,  too,  and  a  rough  tail,  that  are 
not  pleasant  to  think  of  in  close  connection  with 
the  tender  throat  and  crop  of  a  bird.  It  surely 
seems  wise  to  beat  and  break  these  fierce  and  jag- 
ged instruments  before  they  are  sent  upon  a  jour- 
ney so  sensitive  and  perilous. 

5.  It  is  pleasant  to  think  of  bird-life  so  airy 
and  serene ;  pleasant  to  think  that  bird-bread  may 
be  earned  so  easily ;  and  pleasant  to  think  what 
rare  fun  it  must  be  for  the  kingfisher  with  his  long, 
stout,  sharp  bill  to  strike  for  his  game,  and  scarce- 
ly ever  miss ;  and  then  rise  upon  his  happy  wing 
to  some  high  limb  where  he  can  express  his  emo- 
tions and  enjoy  his  meal.     But  stop !     Life  is  not 
always  a  smooth  and  unvexed  current  even  for  our 
happy  kingfisher.     He  sometimes  gets  a  bone  in 
his  throat,  or  chokes  with  a  fish  too  large  to  swal- 
low ;  drops  from  his  lofty  breakfast-table  and  floats 
down  the  stream  to  be  devoured  by  some  ravenous 
pickerel. 

6.  The  kingfisher,  though  possessed  of  a  good 
appetite,  has  an  eye  to  future  wants,  and  in  some 
hole  in  the  bank  of  a  stream  he  stores  away  his 
surplus  game  for  a  rainy  day,  or  for  a  time  when 
his  luck  is  poor.     The  nest  of  this  bird  is  a  piece 
of  cunning  architecture.     Several  feet  above  the 


DIVE&S  OF  THE  AIR.  139 

water-line,  in  the  bank  of  the  stream,  a  smooth, 
deep  hole  is  made,  at  the  end  of  which  a  larger 
room  is  scooped  out.  Here  the  nest  is  built.  First 
there  is  laid  up  a  platform  of  fish-bones,  to  keep 
the  eggs  from  the  moist  ground ;  then  upon  this 
curious  foundation  the  soft  nest  is  placed,  the 
white  eggs  are  laid,  and  the  young  are  hatched. 

7.  Birds,  as  we  have  already  seen,  are  not  all 
free  from  moral  imperfection.     The  kingfisher  is 
not  a  saint  or  an  angel.     True  parental  affection  is 
on  the  side  of  the  mother.     The  father  is  said  to 
cherish  cruel  feelings  toward  the  little  ones.     If 
not  prevented  by  the  watchful  mother,  he  drags 
them  from  their  downy  nest  and  even  kills  them. 

8.  But  this  bird  has  an  honored  history.     He 
it  is  that  was  called  by  the  ancients  the  halcyon. 
And  for  seven  days  before  and  seven  days  after 
the  winter  solstice,  when  the  halcyon  was  supposed 
to   build  its  nest,  the  sea  was  calm,  and  those 
were  happy  days.     The  dead  body  of  the  king- 
fisher was  thought  to  keep  away  thunderbolts,  and 
to  bring  beauty,  peace,  plenty,  and  prosperity.    So, 
among  some  unlettered  people  of  to-day,  the  head 
of  the  kingfisher  is  believed  to  be  a  charm  for  love, 
a  protection  against  witchcraft,  or  a  pledge  of  fair 
weather. 

9.  There  lives  in  the  Malay  Islands  a  larger 
bird  than  our  kingfisher — being  eighteen  inches 


140 


NEIGHBORS  WITH  WINOS  AND  FINS. 


The  Racket-tailed  Kingfisher. 


long  —  called  the 
racket-tailed  king- 
fisher. Like  so 
many  of  the  trop- 
ical birds,  it  is 
dressed  in  beautiful 
plumage.  The  bill 
is  coral  red,  the  back 
and  wings  are  pur- 
ple, the  upper  parts 
bright  azure  blue, 
and  the  breast 
white.  Two  exceed- 
ingly long  tail-feath- 
ers extend  away  be- 
yond the  ordinary 
tail,  ending  in 
points  shaped  like 
spoonSc 

10.  A  very  odd 
member  of  the  king- 
fisher family  is  the 
giant  kingfisher,  or 
laughing  jackass. 
Its  home  is  Aus- 
tralia, and  its  pe- 
culiar name  arises 
from  its  strange 


DIVERS  OF  THE  AIR.  Hi 

cry  and  its  queer  actions.  The  diet  it  feeds  upon 
is  not  confined  to  fish,  but  includes  insects,  rats, 
and  snakes.  When  the  sun  rises  and  when  it  sets, 
the  laughing  jackass  sets  up  a  lively  chant,  on  ac- 
count of  which  it  has  been  called  the  "settlers' 
clock."  This  music  has  been  compared  to  the 
"  yelling  chorus  of  unquiet  demons." 

11.  Any  event  out  of  the  usual  course  calls 
forth  the  peculiar  strains  of  the  laughing  jackass. 
If  a  fire  is  lighted,  or  a  stranger  arrives,  or  a  native 
encamps,  a  few  of  these  droll  birds  consider  it  their 
special  duty  to  draw  near,  and  from  some  over- 
hanging branch  pour  down  their  contemptuous, 
braying  laughter.    A  vile  criminal  was  once  caught 
by  means  of  these  intruders.     Just  in  advance  of 
his  pursuers,  he  had  taken  to  the  thicket.     The 
birds  saw  the  fellow,  and  thought  it  a  fitting  op- 
portunity for  a  laugh.     So  they  hovered  over  the 
hidden  culprit  and  began  their  hideous  noise.     Of 
course,  the  officers  caught  him,  for  they  well  knew 
the  habits  of  the  birds. 

12.  The  hornbill,  that  lives  in  Africa,  Asia, 
and  in  some  other  tropical  localities,  is  remarkable 
chiefly  on  account  of  its  ugly  nose.     On  the  top  of 
its  beak,  and  in  front  of  its  head,  rises  a  helmet,  or 
horn,  that  gives  it  the  appearance  of  a  feathered 
rhinoceros.     No  particular  use  has  been  found  for 
this  uncouth  horn,  unless  it  be  to  call  attention  to 


14:2 


NEIGHBORS    WITH    WINGS  AND  FINS. 


1-=- 


the  amiable  and  affectionate  traits  of  the  bird.  If 
any  further  sign  of  the  presence  of  the  hornbill  is 
needed,  it  may  be  found  in  the  attack  which  its 
equally  unpleasant  croak  makes  upon  the  ear. 

13.  The  food  of  the  hornbill  is  carrion  and 
fruits,  though  it  sometimes   eats  nutmegs,  from 

which  its  -flesh  is 
said  to  become  quite 
savory.  The  female 
makes  her  nest  in 
the  hole  of  a  tree, 
and,  from  the  mo- 
ment she  begins  to 
sit  until  her  young 
are  old  enough  to 
shift  for  themselves, 
the  male  exhibits  a 
remarkable  degree 
of  wit  and  paternal 
affection. 

14.  It  is  well  known  that  the  poultry- woman 
sometimes  finds  it  a  hard  task  to  keep  a  sitting  hen 
on  her  nest.     The  hornbill  proposes  to  run  no  risk 
on  this  point.   When,  therefore,  his  mate  has  placed 
herself  on  her  nest  in  the  hole,  he  plasters  over  the 
hole,  leaving  only  a  small  crack  through  which  he 
can  run  his  delicate  bill.     Through  this  opening 
the  sacrificing  parent  passes  all  the  food  that  the 


The  Rhinoceros  Hornbill. 


DIVERS  OF  THE  AIR.  143 

mother  and  her  brood  require.    They  become  very 
fat,  but  he  becomes  very  poor. 

15.  It  would  be  a  pleasant  relief  to  us  in  the 
summer,  when  wasps  and  hornets,  carrying  their 
painful  weapons,  come  in  at  the  windows  and  dis- 
turb the  peace  of  quiet  householders,  if  we  had 
some  airy  friend  who  would  make  a  business  of 
chasing,  punishing,  and,  if  need  be,  killing  these 
pestering  visitors.     Such  a  friend  the  inhabitants 
of  Europe  enjoy  in  the  bee-eater.     A  very  attract- 
ive friend  it  is,  too ;  for  it  has  a  graceful  body  cov- 
ered with  feathers  of  brown,  blue,  green,  and  red. 
Its  beak  has  a  gentle  curve,  and  its  wings  are  long 
and  pointed,  giving  it  a  rapid  flight. 

16.  The  bee-eater  dives  in  the  air,  and  takes 
much  of  its  prey  on  the  wing ;  and  it  will  not  only 
overtake  a  wasp  or  hornet,  but  it  will  turn  and 
twist  in  the  air,  suiting  its  flight  to  all  the  motions 
of  these  smaller  fliers.     Its  nest  is  built  in  much 
the  same  manner  as  that  of  the  kingfisher.     The 
form  and  actions  of  the  bird  resemble  those  of  the 
common  barn-swallow.   In  the  island  of  Crete,  boys 
catch  the  bee-eater  with  a  pin-hook  baited  with  a 
grasshopper.    But  this  pretty  bird  has  its  objection- 
able characteristics.    It  likes  the  honey-bee  as  well 
as  the  wasp.     Hence,  the  bee-eater  is  the  enemy  of 
the  bee-keeper. 


NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
FAIRIES   ON   THE  WING, 

1.  BY  the  Indians  the  humming-bird  is  called 
a  "living  sunbeam."     And  so  it  is;  it  brings  into 
dancing,  dashing,  darting  life  all  the  bright  colors 
that  are  folded  asleep  in  the  sunbeam.     It  has  no 
voice,  no  sweet  note  for  the  ear ;  but  it  has  life  and 
beauty  for  the  eye.    We  may  wonder  why  the  old 
poets  have  not  sung  of  its  beauty.     But  the  old 
poets   had   no  humming-birds;   and,  besides,  the 
humming-bird  is  itself  a  winged  poem. 

2.  Nature  has  not  bestowed  every  variety  of 
her  treasure  on  any  one  bird.     Where  she  gives 
song  and  a  sweet  note,  she  clothes  with  a  sober 
and  modest  dress.     And  where  she  lavishes  her 
richest  tints,  she  withholds  the  beauty  of  music. 
Neither  does  she  tire  the  eye  or  ear.    The  birds  of 
most   gaudy  color  must   be   sought   in   the  wild 
tropical  forest;  the  finest  singers  put  by  their  in- 
struments after  nesting-time ;  and  if  you  would  see 
the  richest  hues  of  precious  stones  flashing  from 
the  humming-bird's  feathers,  you  must  look  quick. 
It  is  here,  but  in  an  instant  it  is  gene. 

3.  The  humming-bird  does  not  seem  to  know 
that  it  is  so  beautiful.     It  is  one  of  the  busiest  of 
feathered  workers.     All  its  tools  are  fitted  for  the 


FAIRIES  ON  THE   WING.  145 

particular  use  required.  The  bill  is  curiously 
made,  and  in  each  variety  is  suited  to  the  particu- 
lar flower  it  is  to  feed  upon.  Some  bills  are 
straight,  and  some  are  slightly  curved,  but  every 
bill  is  long  and  sharp-pointed.  Its  tongue  reminds 
us  of  the  woodpecker.  Far  out  beyond  the  end  of 
the  beak  this  tongue  can  be  thrust,  so  that  the 
bird  can  sound  the  depths  of  honeysuckle  and 
trumpet-flower.  Its  food  is  the  sweet  or  honey  in 
the  flower,  and  the  insect  that  may  happen  to  lin- 
ger within  the  petals  of  the  blossom. 

4.  And  now  can  you  see  any  reason  why  the 
humming-bird  should  be  so  very  small?    or  why 
its  feet  are  so  tiny  and  weak,  while  its  wings  are 
so  strong  and  never  tire?     Look  at  the  flowers 
when  their  season  comes :  how  they  lift  themselves 
away  from  the  ground  and  extend  their  forms  far 
beyond  the  end  of  the  twig  that  bears  them,  and 
away  from  any  standing  support.     To  reach  the 
calyx  of  the  flower,  where  the  sugar  is,  the  bird 
must  be  either  as  small  as  a  bee,  so  that  it  can 
crawl  in,  or  it  must  be  able  to  stand  on  the  air 
while  its  long  bill  and  tongue  reach  to  the  bottom 
of  the  tube. 

5.  This  is  just  what  the  humming-bird  does. 
It  is  so  small,  and  its  wings  are  so  strong  and 
lively,  that  it  can  stand  on  the  air  and  suck  nectar 

from  the  lips  of   a  flower,  the  vibrations   of  its 
1o 


146         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

wings  being  so  rapid  that  no  person  can  count  or 
estimate  them.  Its  little  pump  works  briskly,  and 
its  wing  hums  and  buzzes  long.  More  than  a  hun- 
dred flowers  a  minute  are  made  to  yield  their 
sweets.  And,  besides  the  honey,  any  small  insect 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  bill  is  touched  by  the 
tongue,  and  attached  by  the  mucilage  on  the  end 
of  the  tongue. 

6.  The  humming-bird  is  a  rare  little  artist.    Its 
nest  is  a  masterpiece  of  skill.     In  the  air  this  bird 
is  protected  by  its  smallness  and  swiftness.    In  the 
nest  its  small  size  and  its  cunning  are  a  defense. 
The  male  brings  the  materials,  and  the  female  ar- 
ranges them.     The  outside  of  the  nest  is  of  lichen 
or  moss,  and  the  inside  of  soft  or  woolly  substance. 
In  the  most   artistic  manner   these  materials  are 
woven    together,  and    cemented  with   the   bird's 
saliva.     The  finishing  on  the  inside  is  composed  of 
the  finest  silky  fibers  gathered  from  plants. 

7.  This  pretty  little  fairy  cradle  is  no  larger 
than  a  large  hickory-nut ;  is  suspended  from  a  leaf, 
or  twig,  or  bundle  of  rushes,  according  to  the  par- 
ticular species  of  bird  that  builds  it;  and  the  out- 
side is  covered  with  moss  and  other  substances  so 
arranged   that   you  could  scarcely  tell  it  from  a 
small  dry  knot.     The  female  lays  in  this  little  dis- 
guised pocket,  twice  a  year,  two  pure  white  eggs, 
each  about  the  size  of   a  pea.     Though  so  very 


FAIRIES  ON  THE   WING. 


147 


small,  these  birds  are  brave.     Often  they  defend 
their  nests  against   larger  birds,  and  against  the 


The  Nest  of  the  Humming- Bird. 


sly  attacks  of  a  great  spider  that  spins  his  net  over 
the  nest,  or  lies  within  it  awaiting  the  return  of 
the  absent  occupants. 

8.  It  is  not  surprising  that  the  charms  of  these 
winged  jewels  should  have  suggested  the  wish  to 


148        NEIGHBORS   WITH    WINGS  AND  FINS. 

win  them  to  the  condition  of  pets.  But  the  little 
creatures  will  not  bear  confinement.  They  are 
creatures  of  the  air,  and  they  must  be  free.  A 
humming-bird  was  once  found  sitting  on  her  nest. 
The  branch  to  which  the  nest  was  fastened  was 
cut  off,  and  «both  bird  and  nest  carried  on  ship- 
board, in  the  hope  of  conveying  them  to  England, 
where  there  are  none  of  these  birds.  The  mother 
soon  hatched  her  young,  which  takes  but  six  days, 
and  grew  tame,  but  died  before  reaching  land. 
The  little  ones  arrived  in  England  and  were  partly 
raised,  but  finally  fell  victims  to  the  cool  climate. 

9.  In  the  United  States  there  are  seven  species 
of  humming-birds.     The  ruby-throat  abounds  al- 
most everywhere.     Other  kinds  are  found  on  the 
Pacific  coast,  in  the  South,  and  in  Mexico,  but  the 
region  where  they  are  most  numerous  is   in  the 
tropical  portions  of  South  America.     Here  there 
are  over  three  hundred  species.    Since  their  richly- 
colored  plumes  have  become  an  article  of  dress, 
the  catching  of  these  feathered  dwarfs  has  grown 
into  a  large  business.     The  manner  in  which  they 
are  captured  is  thus  described : 

10.  uLet  us  follow  little  Dan,  the  oldest  and 
sharpest  of  the  humming-bird  hunters,  as  he  goes 
out  for  birds.     First  he  goes  to  a  tree  called  the 
mountain  palm.     Beneath  the  tree  are  some  fallen 
leaves  fifteen  feet  in  length;  these  he  seizes  and 


FAIRIES  ON  THE   WING.  149 

strips,  leaving  the  midrib  bare — a  long,  slender 
stem  tapering  to  a  point.  Upon  this  tip  lie  places 
a  lump  of  bird-lime,  to  make  which  he  had  col- 
lected the  thickened  juice  of  the  bread-fruit,  and 
chewed  it  to  the  consistency  of  soft  wax. 

11.  "Scattered  over  the  savanna  are  clumps  of 
flowering  bushes,  over  whose  crimson  and  snowy 
blossoms  humming-birds  are  dashing,  inserting 
their  beaks  into  the  honeyed  corollas,  and  resting 
upon  some  bare  twig  preening  their  feathers.  Cau* 
tiously  creeping  toward  a  bush,  upon  which  one 
of  these  little  beauties  is  resting,  the  hunter  ex- 
tends the  palm-rib  with  its  treacherous  coating  of 
gum.  The  bird  eyes  it  curiously,  but  fearlessly,  as 
it  approaches  his  resting-place,  even  pecking  at  it ; 
but  the  next  moment  he  is  dangling  helplessly, 
beating  the  air  with  buzzing  wings  in  vain  efforts 
to  escape  the  clutches  of  that  treacherous  gum." 

THE    HUMMING-BIRD, 

12.  "Brave  little  humming-bird, 

Every  eye  blesses  thee ; 

Sunlight  caresses  thee, 

Forest  and  field  are  the  fairer  for  thee, 
Blooms,  at  thy  coming  stirred, 

Bend  on  each  brittle  stem, 

Nod  to  the  little  gem, 
Bow  to  the  humming-bird,  frolic  and  free. 


150         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

13.  "  Now  around  the  woodbine  hovering, 
Now  the  morning-glory  covering, 
Now  the  honeysuckle  sipping, 
Now  the  sweet  clematis  tipping, 
Now  into  the  bluebell  dipping ; 
Hither,  thither,  flashing,  bright'ning, 
Like  a  streak  of  emerald  light'ning : 
Round  the  box,  with  milk-white  phlox ; 
Round  the  fragrant  f  our-o'clocks ; 
O'er  the  crimson  quamoclit, 
Lightly  dost  thou  whirl  and  flit ; 
Into  each  tubed  throat 
Dives  little  Ruby -throat." 


CHAPTER  xxiv. 
MOTH    AND    FLY    HUNTERS. 

1.  IN  the  farm-yard,  as  we  saw,  there  were  lit- 
tle creatures  that  ran  away  from  the  fowls,  and 
from  the  hot  sun,  and  hid  in  the  dirt,  in  the  shade 
of  the  bushes,  or  under  sticks  and  stones.     Many 
of  these  creatures  have  wings,  and,  when  the  sun 
has  gone  down,  they  leave  their  hiding-places  and 
rise  into  the  cool,  free  air  to  play,  to  visit  their 
friends,  and  to  come  in  at  our  open  windows. 

2.  Not  even  the  most  active  of  our  winged 


MOTE  AND  FLY  HUNTERS.  151 

friends,  whom  we  have  seen  thus  far,  are  able  to 
catch  a  night-beetle  on  the  wing.  Our  kingfisher 
can  dash  down  and  snap  up  his  minnow ;  but  we 
should  no  more  think  of  setting  him  to  catch  a 
dragon-fly,  with  that  long,  pointed  beak  of  his, 
than  we  should  give  a  boy  a  pair  of  tongs  to  catch 
a  ball. 

3.  But  we  have  other  birds  that  are  equal  to  the 
task.     The  night-hawk,  whip-poor-will,  and  king- 
bird belong  to  this  group  of  insect-hunters,  and,  if 
we  will  carefully  look  at  their  beaks,  we  shall  see 
how,  in  part,  they  succeed.     The  two  hands  of  a 
boy,  brought  together  at  the  wrist  and  spread  open 
like  a  mouth  to  catch  a  flying  ball,  give  us  a  good 
illustration  of  the  open  beaks  of  our  hunters  when 
catching  insects  in  the  air. 

4.  The  night-hawk,  the  whip-poor-will,  and  the 
chuck-will's-widow,  are  similar  in  many  respects. 
They  each  have  that  wide  gaping  of  the  mouth, 
which  aids  them  greatly  in  the  capture  of  their  fly- 
ing prey.     A  soft,  downy  plumage,  like  that  of  the 
owl,  covers  them,  and  they  have  short  legs,  small 
feet,  wide  tails,  and  long,  sharp  wings  for  rapid 
and  easy  flight. 

5.  In  England  the  night-hawk  is  called  the 
night-jar,  or  goat-sucker.     It  is  not  a  feathered  cat, 
like  the  owl,  nor  is  it  strictly  a  night-bird.     It 
makes  its  appearance  toward  the  close  of  day,  and 


152 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


for  an  hour  or  two  is  busy  at  work.    It  flies  a  short 
distance  in  a  straight  line,  and  then  abruptly  turns 

in  another  direction,  but  all 
the  time  slowly  mounting 
upward.  At  each  turn  in 
this  zigzag  course  it  gives 
out  its  one  unmusical  note. 
6.  When  at  a  sufficient 
height  it  suddenly  shoots 
downward,  swift  and 
straight  as  an  arrow,  its 
course  ending  in  an  abrupt 
upward  curve.  At  the  low- 
est point  of  this  headlong 
dive,  we  can  hear  a  loud, 
booming  cry,  like  the  pro- 
longed sound  of  the  syllable 
"  whoo."  This  is  its  harvest-time,  for  now  its 
game  is  abroad.  It  flies  until  twilight  fades  into 
night,  or  later  if  the  moon  shines  brightly. 

7.  The  night-hawk  is  frequently  seen  flying 
about  cows,  sheep,  and  goats.  By  close  watching 
it  is  found  that  the  mischievous  flies  that  pester 
these  animals  attract  the  bird.  On  this  account 
the  night-hawk  and  the  tenants  of  the  farm-yard 
have  always  been  good  friends.  It  is  quite  possi- 
ble that  this  kindness  has  been  misjudged;  and 
the  little  bird  that  was  helping  the  goat  to  chew 


The  Night-Hawk,  feeding  on 
the  Wing. 


MOTH  AND  FLY  HUNTERS.  153 

Its  cud  in  peace  lias  been  charged  with  stealing 
milk.  Hence,  as  far  back  as  the  time  of  the  ancient 
Greeks,  it  has  borne  the  name  of  goat-sucker. 

8.  Crouching  upon  the  ground,  or  sitting  length- 
wise of  a  fallen  tree,  may  be  seen,  after  nightfall 
in  May,  the  soft  little  whip-poor-will.    It  begins  its 
work  about  the  time  when  the  night  hawk  retires. 
A  true  night-bird  is  the  whip-poor-will,  and  as  it 
sends  out  upon  the  still  air  its  clear,  flute-like  note, 
that  warbles  the  chastisement  of  "  poor  Will,"  we 
may  well  honor  it  with  the  name  of  nightingale. 

9.  A  somewhat  larger  bird,  but  of  the  same 
form  and  dusky-brown  color,  is  the  southern  chuck- 
will's- widow.    In  the  pine  forests  of  South  Carolina 
it  makes  the  whole  night  melodious  with  a  sweet, 
plaintive  tune.     "Even  the  soft,  full-toned,  and 
richly  varied  song  of  the  mocking-bird,  with  which 
it  is  often  blended,  can  not  drown  the  sweetly- 
cadenced  voice  of  this  plain,  modest  bird,  as  he  sits 
and  'chucks  will's- widow '  away  during  the  live- 
Long  night." 

10.  The  kingbird,  tyrant   fly-catcher,   or  bee- 
martin,  as  he  is  called,  wears  upper  feathers  of 
ashen-blue,  and  under  plumage   of  bluish-white. 
He  is  quick  and  keen.    Sitting  on  the  top  of  a  post, 
he  watches  the  passing  of  an  insect  on  the  wing, 
when,  with  a  dash  and  a  whirl,  he  seizes  the  prey 
and  returns  to  the  same  perch.      He  selects  the 


154: 


NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 


The  Kingbird. 


drones  among  bees,  because  they  have  no  sting. 
But  for  every  bee  he  captures,  he  kills  a  thousand 

harmful  insects. 
11.  In  the 
kingbird,  the 
hawk,  and  even 
the  eagle,  find 
their  match. 
They  are  large 
and  strong,  but 
he  is  small  and 
active.  The 
eagle  may  fly 
high;  but  this 
little  tyrant  will  fly  higher  until  the  favorable 
moment  comes,  when,  like  a  swift  arrow,  he  drops 
upon  his  giant  foe  and  inflicts  a  severe  wound  in 
the  back  of  his  neck.  Though  a  cousin  of  the 
kingbird,  the  pewee,  or  phoebe-bird,  is  less  disposed 
to  quarrel,  and  is  not  nearly  so  bright  and  alert. 

THE    PEWEE. 

12.  To  trace  it  in  its  green  retreat, 

I  sought  among  the  boughs  in  vain ; 
And  followed  still  the  wandering  strain, 
So  melancholy  and  so  sweet, 
The  dim-eyed  violets  yearned  with  pain. 


MOTH  AND  FLY  HUNTERS.  155 

13.  Long-drawn  and  clear  its  closes  were — 

As  if  the  hand  of  Music  through 
The  somber  robe  of  Silence  drew 
A.  thread  of  golden  gossamer ; 

So  pure  a  flute  the  fairy  blew. 
Like  beggared  princes  of  the  wood, 
In  silver  rags  the  birches  stood ; 
The  hemlocks,  lordly  counselors, 
Were  dumb ;  the  sturdy  servitors, 
In  beechen  jackets  patched  and  gray, 
Seemed  waiting  spell-bound  all  the  day 
That  low,  entrancing  note  to  hear— 
"  Pe-wee  !  pe-wee  !  peer  ! " 

14.  I  quit  the  search,  and  sat  me  down 

Beside  the  brook,  irresolute ; 

And  watched  a  little  bird  in  suit 
Of  somber  olive,  soft  and  brown, 

Perched  in  the  maple  branches,  mute ; 
With  greenish  gold  its  vest  was  fringed, 
Its  tiny  cap  was  ebon-tinged, 
With  ivory  pale  its  wings  were  barred, 
And  its  dark  eyes  were  tender-starred. 
u  Dear  bird,"  I  said,  "  what  is  thy  name  ? " 
And  thrice  the  mournful  answer  came, 
So  faint  and  far,  and  yet  so  near— 
"  Pe-wee  !  pe-wee  !  peer  ! " 

Trowbridge. 


156         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 


CHAPTER     XXV. 

GOSSIPS  AND    THIEVES   OF   ORCHARD    AND 
WOODLAND. 

"  The  river  was  silent,  and  could  not  speak, 

For  the  weaver  winter  its  shroud  had  spun  ; 
A  single  crow,  on  the  hillside  bleak, 

From  his  shining  feathers  shed  off  the  cold  sun." 

1.  EVERYBODY   knows  the  crows    and   ravens 
that  hang  about  fields  that  are  skirted  by  woods ; 
though  everybody  does  not  mark  the  difference 
between  these  two  species  of  blact  feathered  creat 
ures.     The  raven  is  about  two  feet  long,  and  the 
crow  is  a  half  foot  shorter.  Their  habits  are  nearly 
alike.     They  are  strong  fliers,  build  rude  nests  in 
tall  trees,  eat  nearly  everything,  are  not  very  hon- 
est, and  make  the  air  noisy  with  their  cawing  and 
talking,  about  and  across  the  fields. 

2.  Ravens  and  crows  do  some  good  when  they 
drop  down  and  pick  up  the  grubs  and  cut- worms 
that  are  waiting  to  attack  the  farmer's  young  corn. 
But  they  are  also  fond  of  corn,  and  seem  to  think 
that  the  farmer  has  planted  it  in  straight  check- 
rows for  their  special  benefit.     It  is  this  mistake 
on  the  part  of  the  crow  that  induces  the  farmer  to 
erect  statuary  in  different  parts  of  his  field,  called 
"  scare-crows  " ;  but  although  they  are  dressed  out 


GOSSIPS  AND   THIEVES. 


157 


in  the  image  of  very  ugly  men,  the  crow  often 
sees  the  joke  and  does  not  scare. 

3.  These   birds    are    intelligent,  and   may   be 
tamed.      Sto- 
ries   are     told 

about  them 
which  show 
that  they  pos- 
sess something 
like  reason.  A 
gentleman  tells 
the  following 
story  of  the  ra- 
ven :  "  When  I 

The  American  (Jrow. 

was   a   boy  at 

school,  a  tame  raven  was  very  attentive  in  watch- 
ing our  cribs  or  bird-traps,  and  when  a  bird  was 
taken  he  endeavored  to  catch  it  by  turning  up  the 
crib ;  but  in  so  doing  the  bird  always  escaped,  as 
he  could  not  let  the  crib  go  in  time  to  seize  it. 

4.  "After  several  vain  attempts  of  this  kind, 
the  raven,  seeing  another  bird  caught,  instead  of 
going  at  once  to  the  crib,  went  to  another  tame 
raven  and  induced  it  to  accompany  him,  when  the 
one  lifted  up  the  crib,  and  the  other  bore  the  poor 
captive  off  in  triumph." 

5.  At  a  certain  inn  in  England,  a  tame  raven 
was  kept  who  was  called   Ralph.     A  gentleman 


158         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

driving  to  this  inn  accidentally  ran  over  and 
bruised  the  leg  of  a  favorite  Newfoundland  dog. 
While  the  dog  was  being  tied  to  the  manger  of  the 
horse,  Ralph  was  watching,  cawing,  and  talking 
with  deep  interest.  It  seemed  that  Ralph  had 
been  brought  up  with  the  dog,  and  the  two  were 
strongly  attached,  and  often  performed  kindnesses 
to  each  other. 

6.  After  awhile   the  dog   broke  his    leg,  and 
during  the  whole  time  in  which  he  was  confined 
the  raven  waited  on  him,  bringing  bones  and  other 
food  for  him  to  eat.     One  night  the  stable-door 
had  been  shut,  so  as  to  leave  Ralph  on  the  outside ; 
but  early  in  the  morning  the  hostler  found  that 
the  faithful  bird  had  almost  picked  a  hole  through 
the  door,  by  which  he  might  enter. 

7.  To  call  these  birds  gossips  may  not  be  alto- 
gether a  play  upon  words.  It  is  known  that  crows 
have  twenty-seven  distinct  cries  or  calls,  and  that 
each  utterance  has  some  connection  with  particular 
actions.     Therefore,  it  may  be  that  crows  talk  to 
and   understand   each    other.     Tame  crows    have 
been  taught  to  mimic  other  birds,  and  to  repeat 
names;  and  sometimes  they  are  very  intelligent  in 
this  respect. 

8.  The  rook  is  a  smaller  cousin  of  the  crow, 
and  abounds  in  England,  where  it  is  domestic  like 
our  robin.    Rooks  build  "  rookeries  "  in  clusters  of 


GOSSIPS  AND   THIEVES.  159 

trees,  where  immense  numbers  of  young  are  raised. 
The  jackdaw  is  like  the  rook  in  appearance  and 
habit,  and  the  two  are  great  friends.  The  jackdaw 
is  more  lively  than  the  rook,  and  more  mischievous. 
He  loves  to  build  his  nest  in  steeples  and  nooks 
of  churches  and  colleges.  Their  association  with 
moral  and  religious  institutions  does  not  seem  to 
affect  the  morals  of  the  jackdaws.  They  are  given 
to  dishonest  tricks.  They  pilfer  from  the  house 
bits  of  linen,  and  steal  all  sorts  of  things,  of  which 
they  build  their  nests. 

9.  The  magpie,  in  America,  is  found  chiefly 
in  the  far  West.     Related  to  the  crow  family,  it  is 
more  showy  than  most  of  its  cousins,  having  beau- 
tifully-colored feathers  of  blue,  green,  and  white. 
It   lingers   about   the  western  herds,  annoys  the 
tents  of  campers,  and  lives  largely  upon  carrion. 
In  England  this  bird  is  sociable,  and  easily  tamed. 
Young  partridges  are  not  safe  in  its  presence,  and, 
if  a  hen  with  her  brood  does  not  keep  a  sharp 
lookout,  the  magpie  will  eat  her  innocent  chicks. 

10.  Captain  Charles  Bendire,  U.  S.  A.,  tells  a 
good  story  about  his  setter  and  the  magpies,  which 
very  craftily  robbed  it  of  its  bone.    While  at  Fort 
Lapwai,  Idaho,  the  magpies  were  very  numerous. 
His  setter  Rock  would  frequently  carry  a  bone  to 
the  front  of  his  master's  quarters  to  gnaw  at  leis- 
ure.    "  After  a  while  four  or  five  magpies  would 


160        NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

come  about  Mm,  and  watch  their  chance  to  get  a 
pick  at  the  bone.    In  order  to  accomplish  this,  one 


V  !i 


w» 


• 

The  Magpie. 


of  the  birds  would  station  itself  about  a  foot  from 
the  dog's  tail,  the  other  three  or  four  taking  their 
positions  in  front,  on  the  sides  of  the  dog's  head. 
The  bird  in  the  rear  would  watch  for  a  chance 
when  Rock  was  occupied  with  his  bone,  and  make 
a  sudden  dive  at  the  extremity  of  his  tail. 

11.  The  enraged  dog  would  jump  around,  for- 
getting his  bone,  and  trying  to  catch  his  tormentor. 
The  bird  would  then  leisurely  escape.  The  re- 


GOSSIPS  AND   THIEVES. 


161 


_TV 


maining  birds,  in  the  mean  time,  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  bone,  and  would  carry  it  away,  if 
small  enough  ;  if  too  large,  they  would  pick  at  it 
till  the  dog  returned  and  drove  them  away.  "  I 
have  seen  the  same  birds  pursue  these  tactics  re- 
peatedly," says  the  writer,  "and  at  every  fresh 
attack  a  different  bird  took  his  position  in  the 
rear.  I  was  able  to  make  sure  of  this,  as  the  tails 
of  these  birds  are  seldom,  if  ever,  alike.  They 
made  these  at- 
tacks  systemat- 
ically,  and  act- 
ed in  perfect  ac- 
cord with  each 
other,  as  if  by 
a  previous  un- 
derstanding." 

12.  Our  crow 
family  is  not 
complete  with- 
out the  jay- 
known  to  all  country-boys.  His  high  crest,  black 
whiskers,  blue  wings  and  tail,  tastefully  bound 
with  black  and  white,  render  him  a  pleasing  ob- 
ject for  the  eye;  but  his  character  can  not  be 
judged  from  his  looks.  He.  is  the  fop  among 
birds,  proud,  loud-mouthed,  and  seemingly  useless. 
The  jay's  character  is  not  good.  He  quarrels, 


The  Elue 


162         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

and  drives  away  other  birds  of  softer  disposition 
and  woe  to  the  robin,  or  oriole,  or  sparrow,  whose 
nest  conies  in  his  way.  He  eats  the  eggs  of  other 
birds,  and  destroys  their  young. 

13.  It  is  pleasant  to  find  that  he  sometimes 
meets  his  match.  Audubon  says :  "  The  cardinal 
grossbeak  will  challenge  him,  and  beat  him  off 
the  ground.  The  red  thrush,  the  mocking-bird, 
and  many  others,  although  inferior  in  strength, 
never  allow  him  to  approach  their  nests  with  im- 
punity ;  and  the  jay,  to  be  even  with  them,  creeps 
silently  to  it  in  their  absence,  and  devours  their 
eggs  and  young  whenever  he  finds  an  opportunity." 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 
SHINY-COATS. 

1.  THE  bird- world  is  a  curious  and  interesting 
scene,  and  our  feathered  friends,  when  we  think  of 
them  all,  never  cease  to  fill  us  with  pleasure  and 
surprise.  If  we  could  stand  them  all  up  in  a  row, 
what  a  strange  sight  they  would  present.  What 
sizes,  forms,  feathers,  wings,  bills,  and  feet !  The 
ostrich  is  a  giant  and  the  humming-bird  is  a  pygmy. 
The  bird-of-paradise  is  as  splendid  as  a  rainbow, 
and  the  swift  is  as  dull  as  a  cloud.  The  stormy 


SHINY-COATS.  163 

petrel  sails  upon  a  wing  that  never  tires,  and  the 
penguin  crawls  with  a  wing  that  can  not  fly. 

2.  In   the   beaks,  legs,   and   claws    of   quails, 
humming-birds,  night-hawks,  eagles,  woodpeckers, 
ducks,  pelicans,  herons,  and  hornbills,  there  is  an 
endless  variety  of  devices  and  tools.     There  are 
running   and  walking   legs,    stilts,   oars,  paddles, 
spades,  rakes,  plows,  game-bags,  hammers,  chisels, 
gimlets,  hooks,  knives,  vises,  pickaxes,  and  hatch- 
ets.    By  these  means  we  have  seen  our  feathered 
citizens  scratching,    jumping,   wading,  swimming, 
diving,  boring,  digging,  cutting,  sucking,  and  seiz- 
ing— all  to  satisfy  their  hungry  gizzards. 

3.  We  are  now  beginning  to  enter  a  new  sphere 
of  feathered  life.     We  leave  the  scratching  and 
pecking,  and  go  with  our  little  friends  to  their 
great  temple  of  song.     Now  we  shall  learn  the 
value  of  the  throat,  and  a  new  use  of  the  beak. 
We  shall  hear  the  music  of  solo  and  chorus.     We 
shall  see  that  birds  sing  not  only  to  call  or  charm 
their  mates,  but  also  to  express  their  own  joy. 

4.  And  for  us,  too,  they  sing.    Think  of  a  sum- 
mer without  song-birds.     As  well  have  a  summer 
without  sunshine,  without  buds,  or  blossoms,  or 
fruit.     With  no  robin,  no  pewee,  no  bobolink,  no 
mocker,  no  song-sparrow,  June  would  be  Decem- 
ber.    These   birds  are  all   lyre-birds    and   poets. 
They  make  the  heart  light  and  free.     The  burden 


164 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


of  joy  or  sadness  floats  away  on  their  mirthful  or 
plaintive  music.  Places  change,  but  the  birds  are 
always  the  same. 

"  Ye  banks  and  braes  o'  bonnie  Doon, 

How  can  ye  bloom  sae  fresh  and  fair  ; 
How  can  ye  chant,  ye  little  birds, 

And  I  sae  weary  f  u'  o'  care  ! 
Thou  'It  break  my  heart,  thou  warbling  bird, 

That  wantons  thro'  the  flowering  thorn  ; 
Thou  minds  me  o'  departed  days, 

Departed — never  to  return." 

5.  The  starlings  are  our  happy  songsters  of 
spring.  When  the  curtain  of  winter  rises,  they 
come  in  the  midst  of  bursting  buds  and  opening 
flowers.  Among  them  are  bobolinks,  cow-birds, 


The  Starting. 


SHINY-COATS.  165 

meadow  -  larks,  orioles,  and  blackbirds.  Nature 
does  not  deny  a  shiny  gloss,  but  she  prefers  dark 
colors  for  her  musicians.  The  bobolink's  dress  is 
black  and  white.  The  cow-bird  sings  in  lustrous 
black.  The  meadow -lark  is  happy  in  yellow, 
brown,  and  black.  There  are  orioles  of  brown 
and  black,  and  orioles  of  orange  and  black.  Black- 
birds must  be  black,  though  they  glimmer  with 
blue  and  green ;  while  some  relieve  their  heads  or 
wings  with  red,  or  yellow,  or  white. 

6.  The  cow-bird  lays  small  eggs,  but  shirks 
work  and  builds  no  nest.     Into  the  nests  of  other 
and  smaller  birds  she  places  her  treasures — one 
egg  in  each.     This  egg  is  hatched  sooner  than  its 
companions,  and  receives  the  first  attention  and 
love  from  the  foster-mother.     She  becomes  bewil- 
dered over  her  own  weaklings,  and  tosses  them 
from  the  nest  and  broods  the  little  cow-bird  alone. 

7.  The  meadow  or  field  lark,  which  is  no  lark, 
but  a  starling,  we  are  told,  loves  the  broad,  sunny, 
shadeless  meadow.     She  makes  her  nest  in  a  tuft 
of  grass,  and  jerks  and  flutters  in  the  grass  before 
she  rises  on  her  wings.     The  male  sits  upon  a 
stump,  or  a  fence,  and  sings  a  sweet,  plaintive  note 
which  we  can  never  forget. 

8.  Of  orioles,  the  Baltimore  is  best  known  to 
us,  bringing  its  name  from  the  livery  or  arms  of 
Lord  Baltimore,  of  Maryland.     Its  note  is  a  short, 


166         NEIGHBORS  WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


simple,  rolling  one,  not  so  much  a  song  as  a  tune 
ful  way  of  talking.    The  oriole  is  called  a  hanging- 
bird,     on      ac- 
count   of    the 

ji 

builds.   On  the 
south    side   of 
the  tree,  where 
the       sun      is 
H  brightest,    and 
HI  protected  from 
the    -storm,    it 
hangs  a  woven 
pouch  or  pock- 
et from  a  lim- 
ber twig,  which 
rocks    in     the 
breeze  but  nev- 
er breaks.    Robber-birds  find  it  difficult  to  plunder 
this  nest. 

9.  The  red-winged  blackbird  pipes  a  flute- 
like  song,  and  chirps  about  the  willows  and 
bushes  of  the  marsh  or  creek,  where  the  nest  is 
made,  and  two  broods  of  young  are  raised.  Black- 
birds, do  not  live  in  pairs  like  other  birds,  but 
love  rather  to  assemble  in  great  flocks,  cover- 
ing the  ground  and  the  tree-tops.  The  crow- 
blackbird  looks  like  his  namesake,  the  crow,  and 


The  Baltimore  Oriole. 


SHINY-COATS. 


167 


is  a  robber-bird,  as  bluebirds   and   robins   sadly 
know. 

10.  But  we  come  back  to  our  bobolink.  When 
the  bright  days  of  summer  have  passed,  he  puts  on 
dull  feathers,  and 
becomes  a  glutton 
of  rice-fields  in  the 
South.  But  he  is 
the  boy's  bird. 
Washington  Irv- 
ing says  of  him : 
"  Of  all  the  birds 
of  our  groves  and 
meadows,  the  bob- 
olink Was  the  The  BoboUnk. 

envy  of  my  boy- 
hood. ...  It  seemed  as  if  the  little  varlet  mocked 
at  me  as  he  flew  by  in  full  song,  and  sought  to 
taunt  me  with  his  happier  lot.  Oh,  how  I  envied 
him !  No  lessons,  no  task,  no  hateful  school ; 
nothing  but  holiday  frolic,  green  fields,  and  fine 
weather." 

THE    BOBOLINKS. 

1,  When  Nature  had  made  all  her  birds, 

With  no  more  cares  to  think  on, 
She  gave  a  rippling  laugh,  and  out 
There  flew  a  bobolinkon. 


368         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

2.  She  laughed  again :  out  flew  a  mate ; 

A  breeze  of  Eden  bore  them 
Across  the  fields  of  paradise, 
The  sunrise  reddening  o'er  themc 

3.  Incarnate  sport  and  holiday, 

They  flew  and  sang  forever ; 
Their  souls  through  June  were  all  in  time 
Their  wings  were  weary  never. 

4.  Their  tribe,  still  drunk  with  air  and  light. 

And  perfume  of  the  meadow, 
Go  reeling  up  and  down  the  sky, 
In  sunshine  and  in  shadow. 

5.  One  springs  from  out  the  dew-wet  grass, 

Another  follows  after ; 
The  morn  is  thrilling  with  their  songs, 
And  peals  of  fairy  laughter. 

6.  From  out  the  marshes  and  the  brook, 

They  set  the  tall  reeds  swinging ; 
And  meet  and  frolic  in  the  air, 
Half  prattling  and  half  singing. 

7.  When  morning  winds  sweep  meadow-landa 

In  green  and  russet  billows, 
And  toss  the  lonely  elm-tree's  boughs, 
And  silver  all  the  willows ; 


SOCIABLE  TENANTS  OF  THE  TREES.          169 

8.  I  see  you  buffeting  the  breeze, 

Or  witli  its  motion  swaying ; 
Your  notes  half  drowned  against  the  wind, 
Or  down  the  current  playing. 

9.  When  far  away  o'er  grassy  flats, 

Where  the  thick  wood  commences, 
The  white-sleeved  mowers  look  like  specks, 
Beyond  the  zigzag  fences. 

10.  And  noon  is  hot,  and  barn-roofs  gleam 

White  in  the  pale-blue  distance ; 
I  hear  the  saucy  minstrels  still, 
In  chattering  persistence. 

C.  P.  Cranch. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 
SOCIABLE   TENANTS   OF  THE   TREES. 

1.  THERE  are  some  birds  who  love  the  society 
of  human  beings.     They  are  mostly  small,  and  it 
seems  to  please  them  to  hover  about  and  trust  in 
beings  higher  and  stronger  than  themselves.   There 
is  room  enough  for  them  in  the  forest  or  about 
broad  fields,  but  they  love  the  objects  and  com- 
pany that  gather  about  human  homes — the  orchard, 
the  barn,  the  children,  the  cow,  and  the  sheep. 

2.  The  little,  grayish-brown  chipping-sparrow, 


1YO 


NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


or  chipbird,  is  most  at  home  about  the  kitchen- 
door.  In  the  near  bush  or  shrub  it  builds  a  nest 
of  grass,  neatly  lined  with  hair.  Nearly  every 
child,  when  it  is  old  enough  to  talk  about  birds,  is 

told  that  he  can 
catch  one  of  these 
tempting  creat- 
ures by  putting 
salt  on  its  tail. 
The  small  child 
usually  tries  his 
experiment  on  the 
chipping-  sparrow, 
and  usually  fails. 
3.  The  white- 
throated  sparrow 
is  not  quite  so  fa- 
miliar, and  is, 
therefore,  a  little 
farther  removed 
from  the  danger 
of  the  child's  ex- 
periment. It  is  known  by  a  black  crown,  by  yel- 
low spots  over  the  eyes,  by  the  orange  edges  of 
the  wings,  and  by  its  white  throat.  It  is  also 
called  the  peabody-bird,  because  it  is  thought  to 
sing  something  like  pea,  pea-body,  pea-body,  pea- 
body,  in  a  tune  of  gentle  sweetness. 


Sparrows. 


SOCIABLE  TENANTS  OF  THE  TREES.          171 

4.  The  sparrow  family  is  a  numerous  one.    The 
cousins  abound  everywhere  ;  but  the  song-sparrow 
is  everybody's  friend.     Its  crown  is  red  with  black 
stripes,  and  its  breast  is  mottled ;  though  its  dress, 
always  plain,  varies  its  shades  in  different  locali- 
ties.    Mr.  Burroughs,  the  friend  of  birds,  writes 
these  pleasant  words  concerning  this  sociable  fam- 
ily: 

5.  "  The   sparrows    are   all   meek   and   lowly 
birds.     They  are  of  the  grass,  the  fences,  the  low 
bushes,  the  weedy  wayside-places.     Theirs  are  the 
quaint  and  lullaby  songs  of  childhood.    The  white- 
throat  has  a  timid,  tremulous  strain,  that  issues 
from  the  low  bushes,  or  from  behind  the  fence 
where  its  cradle  is  hid.     The  song-sparrow  modu- 
lates its  simple  ditty  as  softly  as  the  lining  of  its 
own  nest. 

6.  "  What  pretty  nests,  too,  the  sparrows  build ! 
Can  anything  be  more  exquisite  than  a  sparrow's 
nest  under  a  grassy  or  mossy  bank  ?     What  care 
the  bird  has  taken  not  to  disturb  one  straw,  or 
spear  of  grass,  or  thread  of  moss !     You  can  not 
approach  it  and  put  your  hand  into  it  without 
violating  the  place  more  or  less,  and  yet  the  little 
architect  has  wrought  day  after  day  and  left  no 
marks.     There  has  been  an  excavation,  and  yet  no 
grain  of  earth  appears  to  have  been  moved. 

7.  "  If  the  nest  had  slowly  and  silently  grown. 


172         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

like  the  grass  and  the  moss,  it  could  not  have  been 
more  nicely  adjusted  to  its  place  and  surroundings. 
There  is  absolutely  nothing  to  tell  the  eye  it  is 
there.  Generally  a  few  spears  of  dry  grass  fall 
down  from  the  turf  above  and  form  a  slight  screen 
before  it.  Then,  when  the  full  complement  of  eggs 
is  laid,  what  a  sweet,  pleasing  little  mystery  the 
silent  old  bank  holds." 

8.  There  are  sparrows  of  the  summer  and  spar- 
rows of  the  winter.      Who  does  not  know  the 
brave  little  snow-birds  that  warm  a  driving  snow- 
storm by  their  cheerful  presence  ?    But  their  home 
is  not  with  us  ;  they  are  only  visiting.     When  the 
spring  opens,  they  hie  away  to  the  far  north,  where 
they  have  a  cool  summer  for  song  and  for  nesting. 

9.  Among  our  sparrow  acquaintances  is  the 
English  sparrow — the  twittering,  squeaking,  little 
gamin  of  the  city.     He  is  always  with  us,  fights 
away  other  birds,  and  is  active  and  saucy.   A  good 
story  about  him  was  given  to  a  newspaper :  "  A 
male  bird  brought  to  his  box  a  large,  fine  goose- 
feather,  which  is  a  great  find  for  a  sparrow.    After 

•  he  had  deposited  his  prize  and  chuckled  over  it, 
he  went  away  to  find  his  mate. 

10.  "His  next-door  neighbor,  a  female  bird,  see- 
ing her  chance,  quickly  slipped  in  and  seized  the 
feather — and  here  the  wit  of  the  bird  came  out, 
for,  instead  of  carrying  it  into  her  own  box,  she 


SOCIABLE  TENANTS  OF  THE  TREES. 


173 


flew  with  it  to  a  near  tree  and  hid  it  in  a  fork  of 
the  branches,  then  went  home,  and  was  innocently 
employed  about  her  own  affairs,  when  her  neigh- 
bor returned  with  his  mate. 

11.  "The  proud  mate,  finding  his  feather  gone, 
came  out  of  his  box  in  a  high  state  of  excitement, 
and  rushed  into  the  cot  of  the  female.     Not  find- 
ing his  goods  there,  as  he  expected,  he  stormed 
around  awhile,   abusing 

everybody  in  generaland 
his  neighbor  in  particu- 
lar, and  then  went  away 
as  if  to  get  another  feath- 
er. As  soon  as  he  was 
out  of  sight,  the  shrewd 
thief  went  and  brought 
the  feather  home,  and 
lined  her  own  house 
with  it." 

12.  These  sparrows 
are  all  finches.  The  beak 
of    the    finch    is    short, 
stout,  like  a  cone  in  form, 
and  is  suited  to  pick  and 

111  Goldfinches. 

crack    seeds    and    nuts. 

And  there  are,  besides  sparrows,  other  finches  who 
rejoice  in  the  friendly  atmosphere  of  home.  There 
is  the  goldfinch,  or  yellow-bird,  known  by  its 


174         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

black  cap  and  wings,  and  by  the  wavy  line  of  its 
flight.  It  is  sometimes  called  the  American  ca- 
nary. 

13.  Of  the  finch  family  the  grossbeaks  are 
members.  The  pine  grossbeak,  red  and  gray,  lives 
in  pine  woods,  and  spends  its  summers  far  North. 
The  cardinal  grossbeak  is  red  all  over,  wears  a 
crest  on  its  head,  and  makes  its  home  in  the  Mid- 


Grrossbealcs. 


die  States  all  the  year  round.  His  whistle  is  the 
merriest  of  all  birds.  The  red  and  white  winged 
crossbills  are  interesting,  because  the  two  parts  of 


OUR  NEAR  AND  KINDLY  NEIGHBORS.        175 

their  beaks  run  by  each  other  like  a  pair  of  scis- 
sors, for  the  easier  cutting  and  breaking  of  shucks 
and  seeds. 

14.  The  canary,  for  three  hundred  years  bred 
in  captivity  as  the  musical  house-pet,  is  a  sparrow. 
"  If  the  nightingale  is  the  chantress  of  the  wood, 
the  canary  is  the  musician  of  the  chamber."  It 
has  a  great  power  of  imitation,  and  can  be  taught 
amusing  tricks.  Caged  canaries  have  been  known 
to  live  ten  and  even  thirteen  years.  The  most  of 
them  do  not  live  half  so  long. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 
OUR   NEAR  AND    KINDLY   NEIGHBORS. 
1.  THE  poet  says  : 

"  Somewhat  back  from  the  village  street 
Stands  the  old-fashioned  country-seat," 

and  we  may  add  that,  from  the  top  of  the  old 
mansion  rises  a  chimney  or  stack  of  chimneys.  In 
the  nights  of  summer,  through  the  open  fire-places, 
the  people  who  live  in  this  home  can  hear  strange 
flutterings  and  chirpings  from  the  flues  above,  and 
once  in  a  while  a  young  bird  or  two,  half-fledged 
and  covered  with  soot,  will  fall  into  the  fire-place. 


176         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

2.  If  we  watch  about  sunset,  we  shall  see  a 
great  flock  of  birds  collecting  near  the  house-top. 
They  are  chattering  and  twittering,  as  though  dis- 
cussing some  weighty  matter.     They  are  not  still 
an  instant,  but  take  short  flights,  or  hop  on  the 
roof,  or  from  branch  to  branch  upon  the  trees  near 
by.     But  at  last  things  seem  to  be  settled  to  their 
minds.     As  the  sun  sinks  out  of  sight,  they  form 
into  line,  circle  round  a  little  farther  than  usual, 
and  then  the  leader  flies  directly  down  the  chim- 
ney, the  others  following  one  by  one  until  the 
whole  flock  disappears.     These  are  the  chimney- 
swallows. 

3.  Before   chimneys   were    built,  these   birds 
made  their  nests  in  hollow  trees,  and  often  a  single 
old  tree  would  contain  hundreds  of  nests.     But 
owls  kept  watch  above,  and  weasels  invaded  the 
tree  from  below,  making  sad  havoc  among  the  de- 
fenseless tenants  of  the  trees. 

4.  When  houses  and  chimneys  were  built,  the 
birds  soon  discovered  the  tall  hollow  shafts,  so  like 
their  old  homes.     Here  they  made  nests  in  unused 
flues,  and  they  soon  found  they  were  safe  from 
their  old  enemies.     The  smoke,  which  was  some- 
times disagreeable,  was  a  more  tolerable  companion 
than  a  weasel  or  a  snake,  and  besides  there  was  a 
warmth  very  agreeable  on  a  cold  night. 

5.  The  news  spread ;  and  soon,  whenever  the 


OUR  NEAR  AND  KINDLY  NEIGHBORS.        177 

right  kind  of  chimneys  were  built,  the  birds  de- 
serted their  forest  homes,  and  became  companions 
to  man  :  flitting  above  his  roof,  chirping  for  him  a 
pleasant  little  chorus  as  an  evening  farewell,  and 
gliding  into  his  chimney  to  pass  the  night  in 
silence,  broken  only  by  an  occasional  soft  chirp,  ex- 
pressive of  contentment  and  security. 


The  Esculent  Swallow's  Nest. 


6.  The  chimney-swallow  is  not  a  true  swallow, 
but  belongs  to  the  swifts,  a  family  of  birds  re- 


12 


178 


NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


sembling  the  swallows  in  form  and  habits.  In  the 
structure  of  their  throats,  however,  they  are  more 
akin  to  the  humming-birds. 

7.  The  tail  of  the  chimney-swallow  is  square 
across  the  end,  and  each  tail-feather  ends  in  a  stiff, 
naked  spine.  When  building  its  nest,  this  bird 
clings  to  the  wall  by  its  toes  and  these  tail-spines, 
using  its  bill  to  arrange  the  twigs  of  which  the 
nest  is  made.  The  twigs  are  cemented  by  a  kind 
of  glue  which  the  bird  ejects  from  its  stomach. 
In  Java  and  adjacent  islands  the  gluey  substance 
used  by  a  bird  of  this  kind  forms  the  edible  birds' 

nests,  greatly 
valued  as  an 
article  of  food 
in  China. 

8  .  THE 
BAEIST-SWAL- 
LOW. — Back  of 
the  old  mansion 
is  a  group  of 
old  barns ;  and 
here  we  find  the 
true  swallows, 
with  their  forked  tails  and  swift,  zigzag  flight. 
The  barn-swallow  builds  its  nest  of  mud  upon  the 
rafters  under  the  peak  of  the  roof.  That  it  might 
go  in  and  out,  the  carpenter  made  the  three- 


The  Barn-Swallow. 


OUR  NEAR  AND  KINDLY  NEIGHBORS.        179 

cornered  "swallows'  holes"  high   up   in  the  ga- 
bles. 

9.  THE  CLIFF  OK   EAVES  SWALLOW   formerly 
built  its  nest  upon  the  sides  of  cliffs,  where  a  pro- 
jecting stone  afforded  some   shelter  from   above. 
But  since  man  has  come,  these  swallows  have  found 
that  the  eaves  of  barns  furnish  the  shelter  they 
need ;  and  here  they  build  their  nests  of  mud,  lined 
with  fine  grass  and  feathers. 

10.  THE  BANK-SWALLOW,  also  known  as  the 
"  sand-martin,"  seeks  high,  perpendicular  banks  of 
clay  for  its  home.    Here,  in  the  middle  of  the  bank, 
so  as  to  be  out  of  reach  of  enemies  from  above  or 
below,  it  digs  deep  holes  in  the  clay,  and  at  the 
farther  end  makes  its  nest.    Railroad-cuts  often  fur- 
nish the  proper  kind  of  bank  for  its  nest-digging, 
and  the  bank-swallow  becomes  more  numerous  as 
such  cuttings  are  made. 

11.  MAETINS. — The  purple  martin  is  the  largest 
of  the  swallow  family.     It  is  strong,  and  swift  of 
flight,  and  it  shows  great  courage  in  defending  its 
nest  and  in  attacking  any  birds  or  animals  that 
have  a  taste  for  eggs  or  young  birds.     A  pair  of 
these  birds  will  drive  a  cat  out  of  the  garden  and 
a  hawk  out  of  the  district.     The  martin  is  a  great 
favorite  with  people  in  the  country,  and  "  martin- 
boxes  "  are  placed  on  trees  and  poles  for  them  to 
build  nests  in. 


180         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

12.  All  the  swallows  catch  their  prey  upon  the 
wing,  and  they  destroy  immense  numbers  of  in- 
sects which  would  otherwise  spoil  our  crops.  In 
the  spring  they  come  early,  sending  on  an  advance- 
guard  to  see  that  everything  is  ready  before  the 
whole  body  arrives.  It  was  once  thought  that  they 
passed  the  winter  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of 
ponds ;  but  it  is  now  known  that  they  migrate  in 
early  autumn  to  warm  southern  countries,  and 
that  vast  flocks  of  them  collect  and  fly  mostly  by 
night. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

FRIENDS   OF    FIELD    AND    FOREST. 
"Hark,  hark,  the  lark  at  heaven's  gate  sings." 

1.  THE  lark  of  Shakespeare,  the  sky-lark,  lives 
in  the  land  of  Shakespeare.  Our  little  goldfinch 
sings  his  galloping  ditty  while  he  bounds  along 
the  air ;  but  most  of  our  song-birds  must  fold  the 
wing  and  rest  the  foot  when  they  swell  the  throat 
This  modest  brown  sky-lark,  that  builds  its  nest  in 
the  grass,  rises  in  the  air  and  pours  down  a  shower 
of  notes  upon  the  world  beneath.  Even  when  it 
has  soared  beyond  the  reach  of  the  eye,  its  music 
still  reaches  and  charms  the  ear. 


FRIENDS  OF  FIELD  AND  FOREST. 


181 


2.  So  the  poets  have  loved  to  extol  the  sky-lark, 
as  Longfellow  sings : 

"  Up  soared  the  lark  into  the  air, 
A  shaft  of  song,  a  winged  prayer, 
As  if  a  soul,  released  from  pain, 
Were  flying  back  to  heaven  again." 

3.  Our  larks,  by  the  structure  of   their  bills, 
nostrils,    and   wings,    are   closely   related   to   the 
European     sky- 
lark. 

called 

(y/t; 


The    so- 

meadow- 
lark  does  not 
belong  to  this 
family ;  but  the 
shore-lark,  the 
titlark,  and  the 
wagtail  are  fa- 
miliar members, 
and  sweet  sing- 
ers. The  shore- 
lark  has  over 
each  ear  a  peculiar  tuft,  which  gives  it  the  name 
of  horned  lark.  The  wagtails  have  a  singular  way 
of  wagging  their  tails,  as  if  trying  to  balance  them- 
selves when  they  alight.  They  are  restless  creat- 
ures, tripping  from  one  place  to  another,  always 
with  a  wag  or  twitch  of  the  tail.  The  Louisiana 


The  Sky-Larlc. 


182 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


pipit,  or  brown  lark,  is  common,  though  its  song  is 
feeble. 

4.  The  Missouri  titlark  is  our  sky -lark ;  but  it 
seems  to  be  waiting  for  some  poet  to  excite  human 

ears  to  hear  it. 
From  the  Red 
River  of  the 
North  to  Texas 
in  the  South  it 
cleaves  the  sky 
with  its  soaring 
song.  "  Rising 
from  the  nest,  or 
from  its  grassy 
bed,  this  plain- 
looking  bird,  clad 
in  the  simplest 

colors,  and  making  but  a  speck  in  the  boundless 
expanse,  mounts  straight  up,  on  tremulous  wings, 
till  lost  to  view  in  the  blue  ether,  and  then  sends 
back  to  earth  a  song  of  gladness  that  seems  to 
come  from  the  sky  itself,  to  cheer  the  weary,  and 
give  hope  to  the  disheartened. 

5.  "  No  other  bird-music  in  our  land  compares 
with  the  wonderful  strains  of  this  songster ;  there 
is  something  not  of  earth  in  tjie  melody,  coming 
from  above,  yet  from  no  visible  source.     The  notes 
are  indescribable  ;  but  once  heard,  they  can  never 


The  American  Titlark. 


FRIENDS  OF  FIELD  AND  FOREST.  183 

be  forgotten.  Their  volume  and  penetration  are 
truly  wonderful ;  they  are  neither  loud  nor  strong, 
yet  the  whole  air  seems  filled  with  the  tender  strains, 
and  delightful  melody  continues  long  unbroken* 
The  song  is  only  heard  for  a  period  in  the  summer, 
and  it  is  only  uttered  when  the  birds  are  soaring." 

6.  Of  warblers  there  is  a  multitude,  though 
there  must  be  practiced  eyes  and  keen  ears  to  see 
and  hear  them.  They  are  small :  only  five  inches 
long.  Their  colors  are  rather  gay — too  gay  for  dis- 
tinguished musicians.  They  mingle  the  tints  of 
blue  and  black,  yellow,  green,  and  white,  in  great 
variety.  The  black  and  white  creeper,  the  blue 
golden-winged  warbler,  the  blue  yellow-backed 
warbler,  and  the  summer  yellow-bird,  are  common 
acquaintances.  They  pry  into  every  crevice  of 
limb  or  bark,  and  catch  their  daintiest  tid-bits  on 
the  under  side  of  leaves,  where  other  birds  forget 
to  look.  They  nest  on  the  ground,  in  stumps, 
bushes,  or  trees. 

il.  Our  summer  yellow-bird,  the  blue-eyed 
yellow  warbler,  has  a  sprightly  song,  and  is  a 
common  inhabitant  of  woodland.  The  nest  of 
this  bird  is  one  of  those  in  which  the  cow-bird  lays 
her  egg.  In  making  her  nest,  the  yellow-bird, 
when  arranging  the  material,  which  is  cotton  or 
wool,  whirls  round  and  round,  with  outstretched 
wings  and  tail,  like  a  small  spinning-wheel. 


L84 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


8.  In  this   expert   nest-builder,   the   cow-bird 
finds  her  match.     If  this  sly  impostor  deposits  her 
egg  in  the  nest,  either  before  or  after  the  yellow- 
bird  has  laid  her   own   eggs,  this  shrewd  little 
builder  sets  to  work  and  places  a  new  floor,  cover- 
ing both  her  own  eggs  and  that  of  the  cow-bird. 
Then  she  begins  another  brood. 

9.  While  we  attend  to  warblers,  we  must  not 

forget  the  wonderful,  sober, 
quiet,  little  tailor-birds,  who 
live  in  India,  where  they  have 
lively  and  reckless  monkeys  to 
deal  with.  Their  nest  is  a  mar- 
vel of  crafty  work.  Away  out 
at  the  end  of  a  slender  twig, 
where  spry  monkeys  can  not 
reach,  these  little  tailors — seam- 
ster  and  seamstress — join  hang- 
ing leaves  and  sew  them  to- 
gether, with  some  vegetable 
fiber  for  thread.  The  holes  in 
the  leaves  are  punched  and  the 
thread  is  drawn  through  by 
their  bills ;  then  the  whole  is 
glued  together  with  their  saliva. 
Cotton,  lint,  and  down  furnish 
the  nest  within. 

10.  Occasionally  there  comes  dashing  into  the 


Nest  of  the  Tailor-Bird. 


FRIENDS  OF  FIELD  AND  FOREST.  185 

trees,  where  the  plainer  home  birds  play,  a  visitor 
so  gay  that  it  might  be  taken  for  a  tropical  bird. 
It  is  about  the  size  of  a  swallow,  and  is  of  a  deep- 
scarlet  color,  except  its  wings  and  tail,  which  are 
as  deeply  black.  In  the  more  Western  States,  this 
bird  is  rose  or  vermilion  in  color,  wings  and  all. 

11.  "Oh,  see  that  beautiful  red  bird,"  is  the 
exclamation,  when  this  unexpected  visitor  arrives, 
and  everybody  tries  to  get  a  sight  at  it.     The  one 
with  black  wings  is  the  scarlet  tanager,  and  the 
other,  of  solid  color,  is  its  cousin,  the  summer  red- 
bird.     We  may  reasonably  wonder  why  they  do 
not  show  their  rich  robes  to  us  oftener.     But  the 
gay   robes    are    quite    likely  to   be   the  reason. 
Among  birds,  to  be  beautiful  is  to  be  seen,  to  be 
caught,  and  shot  at,  and  to  be  always  in  danger. 
The  safest  are  they  which  sit  upon  tree-tops  and 
are  heard,  not  seen. 

12.  When  cherries  are  ripe,  the  cedar-bird  comes. 
It  is  the  Carolina  wax- wing.     Its  feathers  wear  a 
glossy,  olive-ash  color,  and  a  crest  rises  from  its 
head.    There  is  a  singular  horny  point  on  its  wings 
that  looks  like  sealing-wax.     The  fondness  it  has 
for  the  ripest  and  best  cherries  wins  for  it  few, 
friends. 

13.  There  are  two  small  birds  we  shall  observe 
if  we  look  carefully,  who  are  clad  in  olive-green, 
like  the  leaves   among  which   they   twitter   and 


186        NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS, 


The   Wax- Wing. 

dance.    They  love  the  sunshine.    One  of  them  has 
red  eyes,  and  the  other  has  white  eyes.     They  are 

the  red-eyed  and 
white -eyed  vireos. 
Red  -  eye  plays  a 
quaint  little  tune, 
and  white-eye  sings 
a  simple,  quiet  ditty. 
Their  soft,  sweet 
notes  fill  us  with 
peaceful  feelings,  as 
of  some  distant  spir- 
it voice. 

The  Zed-eyed  Vireo.  U     ijj^   ^^  ^ 

the   white-eyed   vireo   is  something  curious.      It 


LITTLE  BUSY-WINQS.  187 

hangs  from  a  bush  like  an  inverted  cone,  and  is 
made  of  twigs  and  hornets'  nests,  and  nearly 
always  of  bits  of  newspaper.  Hence,  the  bird  is 
called  "the  little  politician."  In  this  nest  the 
cow-bird  places  her  egg,  and  obliges  the  little 
vireo  to  hatch  and  rear  a  young  one  several  times 
as  big  as  herself, 

15.  It  is  not  so  pleasant  to  pass  from  the  gentle 
vireo,  patient  under  the  imposition  of  the  cow-bird, 
to  so  fierce  a  character  as  the  great  northern  shrike, 
or  butcher-bird.  The  garment  that  covers  this 
hard-hearted  creature  is  of  rich  slate  or  ash  color, 
trimmed  with  velvety  black  on  the  wings  and  tail. 
It  is  larger  than  the  -blue  jay,  and  its  beak  is  de- 
voted not  so  much  to  song  as  to  the  slaughter  of 
smaller  birds.  And  when  this  butcher-bird  has 
killed  his  victim,  he  hangs  it  on  a  thorn  or  twig, 
and  straightway  goes  to  kill  another. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

LITTLE    BUSY-WINGS. 


1.  THE  titmouse,  which  is  our  chickadee,  ought 
to  be  one  of  our  best  friends  ;  for,  with  the  snow- 
bird, it  comes  to  give  lightness  to  the  dull  tone  of 
winter.  Titmice  are  quite  suggestive  of  mice  in 


188 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


feathers.  The  chickadee  has  a  black  crown,  and  the 
tufted  titmouse  wears  a  crest ;  but  otherwise  they 
have  a  color  not  unlike  that  of  mice,  and  in  their 
sly,  quick,  droll  actions,  they  remind  us  of  their 
cousins  in  fur. 

2.  Titmice  hop,  skip,  and   jump   about  from 
twig  to  twig,  looking  over  and  under  branches  and 

leaves,  and  into 
all  cracks  and 
holes  for  their  in- 
sect food,  reveal- 
ing their  presence 
by  their  u  saucy 
note."  They 
ought  to  have  the 
friendship  of  all 
those  who  value 
the  fruit  of  gar- 
den or  orchard  for 
the  earnest,  pa- 
tient work  they 
do  in  catching 
harmful  insects. 

3.  Their  nests 
are  curious.  On 
the  Pacific  coast  is  a  titmouse,  called  the  least- 
bush-tit,  who  constructs  a  nest  like  a  skillfully- 
woven  purse,  hung  from  a  slender  branch.  The 


The  Hanging  Titmouse. 


LITTLE  BUSY-WINGS.  189 

Cape  titmouse,  in  South  Africa,  weaves  a  nest  of 
cotton,  in  the  shape  of  a  bottle,  which  is  suspended 
from  the  twig  of  a  tree.  It  has  an  outside  pocket, 
in  which  the  male  sits  as  watchman  while  the  fe- 
male and  her  brood  are  within.  When  the  mother 
leaves  her  charge,  this  watchman  closes  the  en- 
trance of  the  bottle  by  beating  it  with  his  wings. 

4.  A    lively,    nimble,    little    creeper,    shying 
around  a  winter  tree,  clinging  to  the  bark  like  a 
woodpecker,  and  uttering  his  quauk,  quauk,  quauk, 
is  the  nut-hatch.     It  is  so  called  because  it  sticks 
nuts  and  seeds  in  the   bark  of    trees,  and  then 
hammers  them  till  they  are  cracked.     Its  upper 
feathers  are  blue,  its  under  feathers  white,  and  its 
crown  is  black. 

5.  Nut-hatches  are  like  the  titmouse  in  their 
habits — turning  and  twisting  around  the  branches, 
in  quest  of  insects  with  which  to  vary  their  diet  of 
nuts  and  seeds.     To  make  the  search  more  easy, 
their  tongues  are  horny,  and  end  in  sharp  points  or 
barbs.     It  is  not  altogether  easy  for  them  to  crack 
some  of  the  nuts  they  eat.     If  a  hazel-nut,  which 
is  hard,  is  to  be  opened,  they  place  it  in  a  crevice 
in  the  bark,  and,  after  striking  it  in  several  differ- 
ent positions,  finally  hammer  it  with  their  heads 
down. 

6.  These  active  little  winter  neighbors,  like  the 
titmouse,  remain  with  us  throughout  the  year ;  but 


190         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FI±VS. 

we  see  little  of  them  during  the  summer,  for  they 
are  then  busy  with  their  nests  and  young,  which 
they  tuck  away  in  the  holes  of  trees.  While  the 
female  is  confined  to  her  duties  within,  the  male 
may  be  seen  creeping  about  the  hole  and  softly 
chattering  to  make  light  the  tedious  moments  of 
her  imprisonment. 

7.  Speaking  of  our  small  neighbors,  we  can  not 
pass  by  the  story  of  the  wren.     It  is  a  gallant 
little    soldier,  and   an   accomplished    artist.     An 
ancient  story  calls  it  the  king  of  birds0     Its  claim 
to  royalty  seems  to  rest  upon  the  fact  that  it  is 
both  small  and  smart.     The  old  story  tells  how 
the  birds  assembled  to  choose  a  king,  and  it  was 
decided  that  he  should  be  king  who  could  soar  the 
highest. 

8.  All  the  birds  sprang  up  into  the  air;  but 
the  eagle,  as  might  be  expected,  mounted  higher 
toward  the  sky  than  the  rest,  and  proclaimed  him- 
self king.     But  the  little  wren,  so  small  and  light 
that  he  was  not  noticed,  was  all  this  time  riding 
on  the  eagle's  shoulder ;  and,  as  soon  as  this  proud 
monarch  had  reached  his  limit,  up  sprang  the  wren 
on  its  tiny  wings  and  rose  still  higher0 

9.  Great  size  and  strength  are  not  always  the 
best  means  of  defense,  as  is  shown  in  the  case  of 
this  very  small  but  active  bird.     The  nest  of  the 
marsh-wren  is  an  ingenious  little  pocket  fastened 


LITTLE  BUSY-WINGS.  191 

to  the  stalk  of  a  rush  or  mallow.  It  is  too  high 
for  a  large  robber  in  feathers  to  reach,  and  a 
smaller  enemy  finds  no  branch  to  stand  upon. 
But  the  smart  and  nimble  wrens  can  cling  even  to 
the  smooth  stalk,  and  laugh  at  all  enemies. 

10.  The   house- wren,   or  "  Jenny  Wren,"  is  a 
human  little  creature,  that  has  become  a  favorite 
about  home  by  its  gushing  melody  and  its  pert 
ways.     First  of  all,  it  is  a  brave  fighter,  and  will 
attack  a  martin  or  a  cat.     It  will  perform  a  small 
manual  of  arms,  with  its  jerking  body  and  its  bob- 
bing head  and  tail.     When  a  house-sparrow  has 
committed  a  criminal  act,  Jenny  Wren  has  called 
in  her  associates  and  given  him  a  sound  drubbing. 

11.  Then  our  brave  little  friend  is  a  skilled 
artisto     The  female  does  the  work  in  building, 
while  her  mate,  who  does  no  work,  plays  a  con- 
tinuous song.     To  the  one  it  seems  pleasant  to  be 
charmed  with  fine  music,  while  hard  at  work,  and 
to  the  other  it  seems  much  easier  to  sing  than  to 
work.     Both  parties  are  satisfied,  and  the  nest  is  a 
dainty  little  piece  of  architecture,  upon  which  a 
vast  amount  of  labor  has  been  bestowed. 

12.  A  great  deal  of  common  sense  is  shown  by 
this  cunning  builder.     She  prefers  a  box,  with  a 
very  small  hole,  to  place  her  nest  in ;  but  if  this  is 
wanting,  she  will  make  the  best  of  any  hole  or 
cranny.     She  has  erected  a  choice  little  home  in 


192         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

the  carcass  of  a  hawk  nailed  to  a  barn,  in  the 
skeleton  head  of  a  calf  suspended  in  a  tree,  in  the 
sleeve  of  a  neglected  coat  hung  in  a  stable,  and  in 
an  old  hat. 

13.  Some  persons  have  watched  to  find  out 
how  many  times  in  the  day  a  pair  of  birds  feed 
their  young.  The  wren  has  been  seen  to  bring 
food  to  her  six  little  ones  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
eight  times  during  a  single  day.  How  much  mis- 
chief the  caterpillars,  worms,  and  other  insects  thus 
slaughtered  could  do,  it  is  not  easy  to  estimate. 
This  should  make  Jenny  Wren  a  universal  favorite. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

BIRDS   AT    DAWN. 

1.  THE  beautiful  day  is  breaking, 

The  first  faint  line  of  light 
Parts  the  shadows  of  the  night, 
And  a  thousand  birds  are  waking. 
I  hear  the  hairbird's  slender  trill- 
So  fine  and  perfect  it  doth  fill 
The  whole  sweet  silence  with  its  thrill 

2.  A  rosy  flush  creeps  up  the  sky, 
The  birds  begin  their  symphony. 


BIRDS  AT  DAWN.  193 

I  hear  the  clear,  triumphant  voice 
Of  the  robin,  bidding  the  world  rejoice. 
The  vireos  catch  the  theme  of  the  song, 
And  the  Baltimore  oriole  bears  it  along, 
While  from  sparrow,  and  thrush,  and  wood-pe wee5 
And,  deep  in  the  pine-trees,  the  chickadee, 
There's  an  under-current  of  harmony. 

3    The  linnet  sings  like  a  magic  flute ; 
The  lark  and  bluebird  touch  the  lute ; 
The  starling  pipes  to  the  shining  morn, 
With  the  vibrant  note  of  the  joyous  horn ; 

The  splendid  jay 

Is  the  trumpeter  gay ; 
The  kingfisher,  sounding  his  rattle — he 
May  the  player  on  the  cymbals  be ; 
The  cock,  saluting  the  sun's  first  ray, 
Is  the  bugler  sounding  a  reveille ; 
"  Caw !  Caw ! "  cries  the  crow,  and  his  grating  tone 
Completes  the  chord  like  a  deep  trombone. 

4.  But,  above  them  all,  the  robin  sings ; 
His  song  is  the  very  soul  of  day, 
And  all  black  shadows  troop  away 
While,  pure  and  fresh,  his  music  rings : 
u  Light  is  here  ! 
Never  fear ! 
Day  is  near ! 

My  dear ! " 

Harriet  E.  Paine. 
13 


194:         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 
SONG    AND    HYMN    OF   GARDEN    AND   WOOD. 

"  I  hear  from  many  a  little  throat 

A  warble,  interrupted  long  ; 
I  hear  the  robin's  flute-like  note, 
The  bluebird's  slenderer  song. 

"  Brown  meadows  and  the  russet  hill, 

Not  yet  the  haunt  of  grazing  herds. 
And  thickets  by  the  glimmering  rill, 
Are  all  alive  with  birds." 

1.  OUR  "flying  visit"  brings  us  at  length  to 
the  birds  of  richest,  rarest  song.     The  migratory 
thrush,  or  robin-redbreast,  claims  for  its  home  the 
North  and  the  South,  the  East  and  the  West,  is 
everybody's  friend,  and  everybody  should  be  its 
friend.     It  loves  worms,  but  it  also  loves  men. 

2.  We  can  hardly  tell  what  our  robin  did  be- 
fore he  had  an  apple-tree  to  build  his  nest  in ;  or 
a  cherry-tree  to  be  king  of ;  or  a  garden  to  pick 
worms  from ;  or  a  lilac-bush  to  light  on  while  he 
chats  his  tuck,  tuck,  tuck  ;  or  a  kitchen-window  to 
peep  into ;  or  a  human  neighborhood  to  flute  his 
morning  song  to.     Nor  can  we  know  whether  the 
chimney-swift  or  the  swallow  felt  lost  before  there 
were  chimneys  and  barns  for  them. 

3.  The  blackbird  of  England  is  our  robin  in  a 


SONG  AND  HYMN  OF  GARDEN  AND    WOOD.  195 


darker  dress.  The  song-thrush  of  the  same  country 
is  remarkable  for  its  rich,  mellow  tone,  and  for  the 
delicacy  of  its  flesh.  But  the  nightingale  of  the 
old  country  is  her  queen  of  song.  With  its  music 
Milton  celebrates  the  marriage  of  our  first  parents : 

— "  Nor  then  the  solemn  nightingale 
Ceased  warbling,  but  all  night  tuned  her  soft  lays." 

And  the  ancient  Pliny  says :  "  In  that  little  bill 
seems  to  reside  all  the  melody  which  man  has 
vainly  labored  to 
bring  from  a  variety 
of  musical  instru- 
ments." 

4.  Good  old  Izaak 
Walton  gives  us  this : 
"The  nightingale,  an- 
other of  my  airy 
creatures,  breathes 
such  sweet  music  out 
of  her  little  instru- 
mental throat,  that  it 
might  make  mankind  to  think  that  miracles  had 
not  ceased.  He  that  at  midnight,  when  the  weary 
laborer  sleeps  securely,  should  hear,  as  I  have  very 
often  heard,  the  clear  airs,  the  sweet  descants,  the 
natural  rising  and  falling,  the  doubling  and  re- 
doubling of  her  voice,  might  well  be  lifted  above 


The  Song- Thrush. 


196 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


earth,  and  say,  i  Lord,  what  music  hast  thou  pro- 
vided for  the  saints  in  heaven,  when  thou  affordest 
bad  men  such  music  on  earth  ? ' : 

5.  Our  earliest  harbinger  of  spring,  and  the 
familiar  acquaintance  of  everybody,  is  the  blue- 
bird— 

"  The  bluebird  shifting  his  light  load  of  song 
From  post  to  post  along  the  cheerless  fence." 

He  answers  to  the  English  robin.  He  comes  from 
the  warm  South,  and  we  often  hear  his  gentle,  roll- 
ing carol  before 
we  have  realized 
that  spring  is 
near.  "  With  the 
earth-tinge  on  his 
breast,  and  the 
sky-tinge  on  his 
back,"  the  cheer- 
fulness of  open- 
ing buds  is  in  his 
pleasant  voice. 

6.  Soon  after 
j/i_ . 

The  Nightingale. 


the 


bluebird  an- 
nounces   his    ar- 
rival, comes  his  more  plainly  dressed  mate.    Their 
family  home  is  in  hollow  stumps,  knot-holes,  or 
boxes.     When  a  nest  is  so  far  down  in  a  perpen- 


SONG  AND  HYMN  OF  GARDEN  AND    WOOD.  197 


dicular  hole  that  the  young  can  not  climb  out,  it 
has  been  found  that  the  parents  let  down  sticks 
for  a  ladder.  These  birds  stay  with  us  longer 
than  other  migratory  songsters,  are  not  afraid  of 
men,  meet  us  everywhere,  and  are  among  our  most 
familiar  friends. 

7.  Appearing  in  the  Middle  States  during  the 
latter  part  of  April,  there  is  the  brown  thrasher, 
the  largest  of  our  thrushes.     His  bright  reddish- 
brown  back,    broad   fan-tail,  and  vigorous  flight 
among  brambles  and  bushes,  are  all  familiar  points. 
His  nest  is  usually  placed  so  near  to  the  ground 
that  it  invites  unfriendly  visits  from  black-snakes, 
which    the    bird    vig- 
orously repels.      The 

thrasher  is  a  delightful 
songster,  though  not  a 
mocking-bird,  as  many 
suppose.  He  has  a 
note  of  his  own. 

8.  Out  from  thick- 
ets and  orchards  comes 
a  cry  as  of  a  motherless 
kitten,  and  the  coming 
of   the  cat-bird  is  an- 
nounced.   Not  very  at- 
tractive in  his  covering 

of  deep-slate  color,  he  is  a  mocker,  but  imperfect 


The  Brown  Thrasher. 


198         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS, 

and  not  distinct  in  his  imitations.  The  cat-bird 
always  joins  in  the  daybreak  chorus.  Of  his 
strong  paternal  attachment,  Wilson  says : 

9.  "  In  passing  through  the  woods  in  summer, 
I  have  sometimes  amused  myself  with  imitating 
the  violent  chirping  or  squeaking  of  young  birds, 
in  order  to  observe  what  different  species  were 
around  me ;  for  such  sounds,  at  such  a  season,  in 
the  woods,  are  no  less  alarming  to  the  feathered 
tenants  of  the  bushes,  than  the  cry  of  fire  or  mur- 
der in  the  streets  is  to  the  inhabitants  of  a  large 
and  populous  city. 

10.  "  On  such  occasions,  the  cat-bird  is  the  first 
to  make  his  appearance,  not  singly,  but  sometimes 
half  a  dozen  at  a  time.     At  this  time,  those  who 
are  disposed  to  play  with  his  feelings  may  almost 
throw  him  into  fits  at  the  distressful  cries  of  what 
he  supposes  to  be  his  suffering  young." 

11.  "But  hush! 

Far  off  sings  the  sweet  wood-thrush." 

From  the  topmost  branch  of  some  tall  tree,  far 
off,  and  yet  near  enough  for  music-loving  ears  to 
hear,  or  out  of  the  still  depths  of  the  forest,  he 
pours  his  melody  on  the  air  like  the  rolling, 
double-tongued  notes  of  a  finely  played  flute.  He 
sings  in  .the  sunshine,  and  when  the  day  is  fading 
into  night.  He  sings  when  it  is  dry  and  when  it 


SONG  AND  HYMN  OF  GARDEN  AND    WOOD.  199 

is  wet.     Even  when  the  throats  of  other  birds  are 
closed,  the  wood-thrush  sings. 

12.  A  near  relative  of  this  bird  is  the  linnet- 
thrush,  less  attractive  in  feather,  seldom  heard,  but 


The  Wood- Thrush. 

said  to  possess  even  a  richer  note.  Of  the  wood- 
thrush  Mr.  Burroughs  says :  "  He  is  a  poet  in  very 
word  and  deed.  His  carriage  is  music  to  the  eye. 
His  performance  of  the  commonest  act,  as  catching 
a  beetle,  or  picking  a  worm  from  the  mud,  pleases 
like  a  stroke  of  wit  or  eloquence.  What  a  finely 


200         NEIGHBORS    WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

proportioned  form !  How  plain,  yet  rich,  his 
color,  the  bright  russet  of  his  back,  the  clear  white 
of  his  breast !  " 

13.  The    mocking-bird,    our    most    renowned 
thrush,  is  the  American  nightingale.     Ashen-gray, 
with  tail  and  wings  black  and  tipped  with  white, 
it  rarely  passes  the  summer  north  of  the  thirty- 
eighth  parallel  of    latitude.      It   brings   off   two 
broods  in  the  season,  hates  the  cat,  and  is  a  deadly 
enemy  to  the  black-snake.     It  is  the  rival  of  the 
English  nightingale,  both  as  a  singer  of  the  night, 
and  in  the  richness  and  power  of  its  song. 

14.  In  the  cage,  the  mocking-bird  is  a  faithful 
learner  and  imitator  of  other  birds'  notes.     But  in 
its  wild  freedom  at  the  South  it  makes  its  best 
performance.     When  the  last  trill  of  the  whip- 
poor-will  has  died  away,  our  night-minstrel  floods 
the   moonlit   air   with   enchanting    melody.      He 
even  mounts  into  the  upper  air,  and,  while  soaring 
on  his  wing,  shakes  out  the  notes  of  his  delicious 
song  upon  the  world  below — thus  proving  himself 
both  sky-lark  and  nightingale. 


THE  ROCHESTER  ROBIN.  201 

CHAPTER   XXXIII. 

THE    ROCHESTER    ROBIN.* 

1.  A  ROCHESTER  robin  alighted  one  day 

On  a  bar  or  a  brace  of  the  wonderful  thing 
That  mills  the  swift  miles  like  grain  in  its  way, 
And  flies  like  a  bird,  though  it  never  takes  wing. 

2.  And  the  Rochester  robin  said  to  herself, 

"  What  a  place  for  a  nest,  so  strong  and  so  warm, 
As  neat  as  a  pin  and  as  shiny  as  delf, 

Up  out  of  the  danger,  in  out  of  the  storm." 

3.  And  her  mate  by  the  roadside  struck  up  the  old 


He  sang  for  the  apple-tree  blossoms  to  daflce, 
The  girlish  white  blossoms  in  pink  applique, 
More  fragrant  and  fair  than  the  lilies  of  France. 

4.  The  heart  of  the  engine  was  cold  as  a  cave, 
The  furnace-door  grim  as  the  grate  of  a  cell; 

And,  dumb  as  the  church  under  Switzerland's  wave, 
Like  a  tulip  of  gold  the  glittering  bell. 

5.  Then  the  stoker  swung  wide  the  furnace's  door, 
Stirred  up  the  dull  fire,  and  the  robins  just  said, 

*  A  Rochester  robin  has  built  its  nest  on  the  main  frame  of  an 
engine  of  the  Kew  York  Central  Railroad.  The  engine  runs  daily 
between  Rochester  and  De  Witt,  but  the  bird  occupies  the  nest. 


202         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

"  Summer  weather  to-day ! "  Then  rumble  and  roar 
Played  the  water's  hot  pulse  with  the  clouds 
overhead. 

6.  "  I  am  sure  it  will  rain,"  he  sang  to  his  mate, 

"  It  thunders  and  lightens ;  but  work  right  along, 
The  house  but  half  done,  and  the  season  so  late — 
How  cloudy  it  grows."  So  he  kept  up  the  song. 

7.  And  the  twain  fell  to  work,  bore  timbers  of 

straw, 

And  fibers  of  wool  caught  on  thistle  and  thorn ; 
And  wrought  them  all  in,  by  the  Lord's  "  higher 

law," 
With  threads  of  the  laces  some  maiden  had  worn. 

8.  Then  clang  swung  the  bell,  and  the  warble  was 

•      hushed, 

And  the  crazy  sparks  flew,  as  if  the  storm  tore 
The  small  constellations  aside  and  asunder ; 
While  the  engine  along  the  steel  parallels  rushed. 
The  birds  watched  it  all  with  innocent  won- 
der— 
"  Who  ever  saw  stars  in  the  day-time  before  ?  " 

9.  Then  she  cried,  and  he  said,  "The  gale  is  so 

strong, 
I    think   the    whole    world    must  be  blowing 

away ! " 

She,  trusting,  replied,  "  Can  not  last  very  long," 
And  kept  on  with  her  work,  far  sweeter  than  play. 


WINGS  AND  FEET  FOR  EARTH,  AIR,  AND  SEA.  203 

10.  To  and  fro,  far  and  near,  their  fiery  world  went, 
The  cup  of  their  love  brimming  over  with  life ; 

And  the  engineer  stood  at  his  window,  intent, 
And  watched  the  steel  rails,  the  redbreast  and 

wife, 

And  declared,  by  his  engine  and  honor,  he  would 
Be  the  death  of  the  man,  big  or  little,  who  should, 
In  the  height  or  the  depth  of  his  gracelessness,  dare 
"  To  meddle  or  make  "  with  his  passengers  there. 

11.  Ah,  brave  guests  of  the  foot-board,  ticketed 

through 

All  weathers  and  times  till  the  end  of  the  run, 
The  Lord  of  the  sparrows,  who  is  caring  for  you, 
And  the  Lord  of  all  realms  forever  are  One. 

Benj.  F.  Taylor. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 
WINGS  AND    FEET   FOR   EARTH,    AIR,   AND    SEA. 

I,  BEFOEE  parting  from  our  friends  in  feathers, 
let  us  invite  them  all  to  gather  in  some  pleasant 
field  in  the  world  of  our  imagination,  that  they 
may  see  and  amuse  each  other,  and  that  we  may 
be  both  amused  and  instructed.  So  many  sizes, 
shapes,  and  colors  could  scarcely  be  brought  from 
any  other  race  of  animals.  Many  of  them  have 


204         NEIGHBORS    WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

never  met  before,  and  they  have  their  emotions 
excited  as  they  examine  the  different  forms,  feat- 
ures, and  feathers  assembled. 

2.  We  can  easily  fancy  the  flamingo,  with  long 
legs,  wings,  and  neck,  and  the  penguin,  with  short 
legs,  and  stubby  wings,  expressing  surprise  at  each 
other.     The  pelican,  with  dignified  face,  and  the 
bird-of-paradise,  with  gorgeous  dress,  will  admire 
each  other.     The  owl,  who  can  not  see  well,  but 
has  ears  to  hear,  will  enjoy  the  guffaw  of   the 
laughing-jackass ;  and  this  visitor  from  Australia 
will  be  excited  to  smile  more  loudly  than  usual  at 
the  big  ears  of  the  owl.     The  secretary-bird  will, 
doubtless,  be  pleased  with  the  snaky  neck  of  the 

darter.  The  condor  will 
study  with  interest  the  instru- 
ments of  slaughter  carried 
by  the  eagle,  hawk,  and  fal- 
con ;  and  those  hungry  high- 
waymen will  find  it  hard  to 
keep  their  cruel  claws  from 

SUrp  Cla^of  Bird  of       ^  multitude  of  dainty  little 

hoppers  before  them. 

3.  Then  we  may  fancy  some  of  the  visitors 
claiming  relationship  by  their  feathers,  bills,  legs, 
and  feet.     The  flamingo  will  show  that  he  is  kin 
both  to  the  heron  and  the  duck.     The  pigeon,  by 
its  feet,  will  cousin  with  the  hen,  and,  by  its  wings, 


WINGS  AND  FEET  FOR  EARTH,  AIR,  AND  SEA.  205 

with  the  swiftest  fliers.  The  penguin,  because  he 
uses  his  little  wings  for  crawling  and  swimming, 
may  show  his  relationship  to  lizards  and  fish. 
The  darter,  by  his  neck,  may  claim  that  his  fore- 
fathers were  snakes.  All  the  members  of  the 
assembly  will  rejoice  in  the  common  features  they 
behold,  and  the  mass-meeting  will  be  turned  into 
a  family -gathering. 

4.  The  ostrich — the  feathered  camel — will  be 
the  grand  patriarch  of  the  occasion,  and  we  may 
well  conclude  that  he  will  be  honored.     He  will 
not  be  annoyed  or  burdened  if  the  whole  race  of 
perchers — finches,  warblers,  swallows,  and  wrens 
— sit  upon  his  back,  and  nut-hatches  and  wood- 
peckers climb  his  neck  and  legs.     If  now,  in  the 
midst  of  this  general  good  feeling,  the  whole  as- 
sembly should  join  in  the  exercise  of  their  musical 
powers,  there  would  be  such  a  chorus  as  was  never 
before  heard.     The  tide   of   music   would   swell 
with  the  songs  of  nightingale,  skylark,  bobolink, 
robin,  wood-thrush,  and  mocker ;  with  the  crowing 
of  the  cock,  the  cackling  of  the  guinea,  the  hoot  of 
the  owl,  the  honk  of  the  goose,  the  caw  of  the 
crow,  the  yell  of  the  loon,  the  horn  of  the  crane, 
the  quack  of  the  duck,  the  screech  of  the  parrot, 
the  trumpet  of  the  heron,  the  cymbal  of  the  wood- 
pecker, and  the  drum  of  the  grouse. 

5.  Amid  the  vast  variety  in  this  feathered  con- 


206         NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

vention,  one  fact  is  common  to  all  its  members : 
they  are  all  birds.  All  breathe  air  and  are  warm- 
blooded ;  lay  eggs,  have  backbones  and  feathers ; 
two  limbs  for  walking  or  swimming,  three  eye- 
lids, bony  tongues,  and  hollow  bones.  None  of 
them  have  true  teeth,  or  lips  of  flesh,  or  outside 
ears. 

6.  If  now  they  scatter,  and  go  to  their  homes  as 
fast  as  they  are  able,  we  have  a  fine  chance  to  ob- 
serve their  different  natural  motions.     It  is  easy 
to  see  that  they  divide  themselves  into  birds  of 
the  air,  birds  of  the  land,  and  birds  of  the  water. 
To  secure  the  objects  of  their  life,  all  must  move, 
and  all  have  either  air  or  water  to  move  in  or 
against.     Hence,  the  general  shape  of  the  body  is 
alike  in  all.     It  has  the  form  of  the  egg  they  lay. 
The  breast  of  the  bird  is  like  the  large  end  of  the 
egg,  and  the  rest  of  the  body  tapers  back  like  the 
small  end.     Or  the  form  of  the  bird's  body  is  like 
a  boat  or  canoe,  tapering  at  both  ends,  so  as  to  cut 
the  air  or  water  in  front,  and  to  drag  as  little  as 
possible  behind. 

7.  The  breastbone  of  the  bird  is  like  the  keel 
of  a  boat,  and  the  curve  is  shorter  in  water  than 
in  land  birds.     Water-birds,  too,  have  flatter  bodies 
for  floating,  while  they,  as  well  as  air-birds,  have 
air-cells  which,  with  their  hollow  bones,  are  filled 
by  their  lungs.     The  ostrich,  and  the  apteryx,  of 


WINGS  AND  FEET  FOR  EARTH,  AIR,  AND  SEA.  207 

New  Zealand,  that  has  no  wings  or  tail,  both  have 
flat  breasts. 

8.  Just  as  the  balloon,  the  buggy,  and  the  boat 
are  operated,  each  in  a  different  manner,  so  the 
birds  of  the  air,  of   the  land,  and  of  the  water 
have  different  means  of  motion.     The  air-birds  are 
moved  by  the  wings  pressing  against  the  air.     For 
powerful  flight  over  a  short  distance  the  wing  is 
short  and  round,  and  makes  rapid  strokes,  as  in 
the  quail  or  grouse.     For  the  light,  airy,  circling, 
or  continued  flight  of  the  swallow,  the  pigeon,  or 
the  albatross,  the  wing  is  long  and  pointed.     The 
wings  of  the  ostrich  and  auk  are  stubby,  because 
they  do  not  use  them  for  flying. 

9.  The  land-birds  are  moved  mainly  by  legs. 
The  turkey,  pheasant,  lyre-bird,  and  all  walkers 
and  runners,  are  well-balanced  on  long,  strong  legs ; 
the  waders'  legs  are  still  longer.     For  the  swim- 
ming-birds these  limbs  are  short 

as  well  as  strong,  and  they  are  set 

far  behind,  so  as  to  push  the  body 

in  the  water.     The  birds  of  the 

air,  except  those   that   use  their 

feet  for  catching  prey,  have  short,     stron^at  Foot  0/ 

weak  legs,  and  they  move  when  Scratcher. 

on  the  ground  only  by  hopping.     The  duck  and 

penguin  are  awkward  walkers. 

10.  All  birds  have  necks  long  enough  to  carry 


208 


NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 


swimmin 
pana 


ed  arid  closed. 


ng 
clos 


the  bill  back  to  the  oil-sac  at  the  root  of  the  tail. 
And,  when  the  legs  lift  the  body  high  above  the 

ground,  the  neck  must 
be  long  enough  to 
bring  the  bill  back  to 
the  ground.  So,  the 
crane,  stork,  and  heron 
have  long  necks ;  and 
ducks,  swallows,  and 
cormorants  have  short 
necks. 

11  The  feathers, 
also,  are  precisely 
suited  to  the  habits  of  the  different  birds.  All 
need  feathers  for  a  covering,  as  other  animals  need 
fur  and  scales.  The  duck  has  a  thick,  oily  coat 
to  resist  water.  The  fliers  have  fewer  feathers, 
light  and  open,  except  in  the  wing,  where  the 
barbs  of  the  feathers  are  hooked  and  locked  to- 
gether, so  as  to  resist  the  air.  The  feathers  of  the 
ostrich  are  downy,  so  as  to  cover  him,  and  at  the 
same  time  make  his  load  light  when  he  runs.  The 
tails  of  flying-birds  are  used  for  rudders  to  steer 
their  course. 

12.  The  foot  of  the  bird  is  that  part  of  the  leg 
that  reaches  from  the  joint  we  see  below  the 
feathers  to  the  ground.  This  joint  is  the  heel, 
and  some  birds,  like  the  auk,  when  sitting,  rest 


WINGS  AND  FEET  FOE  EARTH,  AIR,  AND  SEA.  209 

upon  the  whole  foot.  Most  birds  have  four  toes, 
three  in  front  and  one  behind.  The  feet,  including 
the  toes,  differ  according  to  the  work  they  have  to 
do — whether  they  perch,  or  walk,  or  wade,  or  swim. 

13.  The  higher  up  a  bird 
lives,  the  shorter  are  its  feet,  and 
the  longer  are  its  toes.  The 
perchers  must  grasp  branches 
and  twigs,  and  they  have  long, 
slender  toes,  with  sharp  nails, 
the  hind  toe  as  long  as  the  front  ciimbing-ciaw  of  the 
ones.  Some  of  them  have  their 
toes  in  pairs — two  before  and  two  behind — an  ar- 
rangement quite  convenient  for  the  woodpecker, 
who  wants  to  cling  to  a  tree  with  his  head  down  ; 
and  for  the  parrot,  who  climbs  from  twig  to  twig 
like  a  monkey. 

14.  The  walkers  and  scratchers, 
like  the  hen  and  turkey,  have  toes  that 
spread  when  they  touch  the  ground,  so 
as  to  make  a  broad  foundation  to  sup- 
port their  bodies.  The  hind  toe  is  set 
up,  and  above  this  is  sometimes  seen 
the  spur  for  defense.  The  plover  has 
_.„  but  three  toes,  as  it  is  a  beach- walker, 

of  the  Plover. 

and  not  a  scratcher.  The  flamingo 
wades  in  deep  water,  and  its  three  fully  webbed 
toes  serve  to  keep  it  from  sinking  in  the  mud,  as  it 

14 


210 


NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


Foot  of  Grebe,  showing 
Swimming  -Membrane 
on  each  Toe. 


digs  and  bores  for  its  prey.  The  heron  has  but 
two  webbed  toes ;  he  stands  and  waits  for  his  prey 
to  come  to  him.  The  grebe  has  a  membrane  on 
each  side  of  its  toes,  which 
makes  them  paddles  when  it 
needs  to  swim.  In  some  this 
membrane  is  scalloped. 

15.  Among  swimmers,  the 
duck,  like  the  swan,  a  complete 
water-bird,  has  three  webbed 
toes.  The  pelican,  with  long 
wings  for  flight,  needs  a  power- 
ful oar  when  he  swims,  and  his 
toes  are  all  webbed.  The  ocean- 
fliers  can  not  be  bothered  with  great,  strong  legs 
and  feet :  so  their  limbs  are  small  and  weak ;  and, 
to  help  them,  when  it  is  necessary  to  swim,  they 
have  webbed  toes.  The 
birds  that  seize  their  prey 
alive,  like  the  hawk  and 
eagle,  have  all  their  toes 
long,  curved,  strong,  and 
with  sharp  claws;  while  the 
vultures,  that  only  attack 
animals  when  they  are  dead, 
wear  short  hind  toes,  long, 
nearly  flat  front  toes,  and  all  rather  weak. 

16.  Nothing  about  birds  is  more  curious  than 


Curved  Toes  of  the  Grebe  or 
Coot. 


WINGS  AND  FEET  FOR  EARTH,  AIR,  AND  SEA.  211 

the  bill.  Of  course,  it  is  the  mouth,  but  it  is  also 
the  lips,  and  partly  the  teeth.  It  does  all  sorts 
of  work,  for  it  is  a  hand  as  well  as  a  mouth.  It 
tears,  cuts,  crushes,  pounds,  feels,  holds,  carries, 
and  performs  the  work  of  a  variety  of  tools, 
To  do  all  this,  it  is  either  long  or  short,  straight 
or  curved,  or  hooked ;  and  it  is  slender  or  cone- 
shaped,  or  flat  and  wide.  The  air-birds,  or  perch- 
ers,  if,  like  the  robin,  they  live  largely  on  insects, 
have  bills  of  medium  length ;  but  if  they  are  seed- 
eaters,  they  have  short,  cone-shaped  beaks,  like 
the  finches,  or  cracking  and  cutting  bills,  that 
work  like  scissors,  as  in  the  cross-bill.  Those 
that  catch  insects  on  the  wing,  like  the  night- 
hawk  and  swallows,  have  short  bills  that  open 
wide  and  deep. 

17.  The  parrot  has  a  nut-cracking  bill  with  a 
hook  at  the  end  for  climbing.  The  eagle's  bill 
is  both  hooked  and  strong,  for  catching  and  tear- 
ing live  animals ;  while  the  vulture's  bill  is  weak 
and  less  hooked,  as  it  is  used  merely  to  carve 
dead  flesh.  The  heron  manages  well,  with  a  long, 
sharp,  cutting  bill,  to  snap  a  fish  as  it  swims  by ; 
but  the  flamingo,  to  bore,  and  plow,  and  sift, 
needs  the  large,  ugly  tool  that  he  has.  The 
spoon-bill  catches  shrimps  and  crabs  with  a  double 
spoon ;  the  duck  digs  and  strains  out  its  nourish- 
ment with  a  double  shovel ;  the  pelican  captures 


212         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

small  fry  with  a  scoop;  and  the  sea-fliers  have 
long  bills,  with  sharp  or  hooked  ends,  so  arranged 
as  to  catch  and  hold  their  slippery  prey. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

SHINY   TENANTS    OF    BROOK    AND    POND. 

1.  FISHES  are  our  friends,  mostly  because  they 
allow  us  to  catch  and  eat  them.     Some  of  them, 
like  the  gold-fish  and  other  small  varieties,  live 
well  in  the  aquarium,  and  grow  interesting  as  pets. 
Those  that  are  kept  in  large  numbers  in  artificial 
ponds  grow  tame,  and  will  come  at  the  call  of  the 
voice,  or  at  the  tinkling  of  a  bell.      Fish  have 
sense  enough  to  know  where  to  find  their  nests. 
They  return  to  the  sea  after  they  have  journeyed 
far  up  toward  the  source  of  rivers.     But  their  wit 
fails  against  the  deception  of  a  baited  hook  hiding 
within  a  tempting  bait 

2.  There  are  some   features   of    rare   beauty 
about  fish.     Among  them  are  those  whose  form 
is  graceful,  and  some  are  clothed  in  scales  that 
reflect  nearly  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow.     But 
the  most  interesting  thing  about  fish,  to  the  ma- 
jority of  the  people,  is  the  catching  of  them  with 


SHINY  TENANTS  OF  BROOK  AND  POND.      213 

rod,  hook,  and  line.  The  rod  and  line,  as  held  in 
fishing,  describe  in  the  air  the  two  sides  of  an 
angle,  and  hence  fishing  has  been  called  angling. 
From  earliest  times  it  has  been  considered  fine 
sport  to  go  fishing.  More  than  two  hundred 
years  ago  Izaak  Walton,  an  Englishman,  wrote 
a  book  on  angling,  which  is  even  now  a  delight 
both  to  those  who  love  books,  and  to  those  who 
love  this  charming  sport  In  this  book,  address- 
ing one  who  is  learning  the  art  of  angling,  he 
says : 

3.  "No  life,   my   honest   scholar,    no   life  so 
happy  and  so  pleasant  as  the  life  of  a  well-gov- 
erned angler ;  for  when  the  lawyer  is  swallowed 
up  with  business — and  the  statesman  is  preventing 
or  contriving  plots — then  we  may  sit  on  cowslip 
banks,  hear  the  birds  sing,  and  possess  ourselves 
in  as  much  quietness  as  these  silent,  silver  streams 
which  we  now  see  glide  so  quietly  by  us.    Indeed, 
my  good  scholar,  we  may  say  of  angling,  as  Dr. 
Boteler  said   of    strawberries :     '  Doubtless   God 
could  have  made  a  better  berry,  but  doubtless 
God  never  did.'     And,  so,  if  I  might  be  judge, 
God  never  did  make  a  more  calm,  quiet,  innocent 
recreation  than  angling." 

4.  With  this  sentiment  most  girls  and  boys 
will  agree.     But  another  view  set  forth  by  Izaak 
Walton  hardly  represents  the  facts : 


214:        NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

"  Of  recreation  there  is  none 
So  free  as  fishing  is  alone; 
All  other  pastimes  do  no  less 
Than  mind  and  body,  both  possess  ; 
My  hand  alone  my  work  can  do. 
So  I  can  fish  and  study  too." 

Where  is  the  boy  that  can  study  while  he  is  bait- 
ing his  hook,  casting  his  line,  or  landing  a  wrig 
gling  shiner  or  chub  ?  Fishing  forgets  everything 
but  itself ;  forgets  school,  study,  and  the  time  of 
day ;  forgets  that  water  is  wet,  or  cold,  or  deep. 
But  it  is  sometimes  forcibly  reminded  of  all  these 
things  by  a  small  edition  of  the  Judgment-day, 
when  it  returns  home  at  night. 

5.  There  is  one  kind  of  study,  however,  that 
may  go  along  with  fishing,  and  that  is  the  study  of 
fish.     Here  is  the  shiner,  nearly  always  the  first 
inhabitant  of   the  water  to  be  introduced   to   a 
young  fisherman  at  the  end  of  his  quivering  line. 
What  a  graceful  form  it  has,  tapering  into  a  small 
head  at  one  end,  and  thin  lively  tail  at  the  other. 
And  how  true  to  its  name,  as  its  greenish  back,  and 
sides  of  lustrous,  silvery  white,  gleam  in  the  sun- 
shine. 

6.  Let  us  go  to  school  to  the  shiner,  and  see 
what  we  can  learn.     Along  the  bank  of  a  brook, 
when  the  water  is  clear,  we  will  step  softly,  and 
on  the  side  that  is  away  from  the  sun,  so  that  our 


SHINY  TENANTS  OF  BROOK  AND  POND.     215 

shadows  will  not  fall  on  the  stream.  Here,  in 
little  pools,  are  scores  of  minnows.  They  are  a 
kind  of  fish  by  themselves,  and  never  grow  longer 
than  two  or  three  inches.  But  here  again  is  a 
deeper  pool,  over  part  of  which  the  bank  casts  its 
shadow.  Keep  still  now,  for  a  moment.  There 
he  comes  !  Now  watch  him  closely. 

7.  He  stops  to  look  and  to  hear  if  any  danger 
is  near.     It  is  easy  to  see  how  he  keeps  from  roll- 


The  Common  Minnow  :  n,  nose  ;  gc,  gill-cover  ;  af,  arm-fin  ;  If,  leg-fins  / 
sf,  single  fins }'  ms,  mucous  scales. 

ing  over.  There  are  two  limbs  just  behind  the 
head,  and  two  more  still  farther  back.  These 
limbs  are  fins,  but  they  have  fingers  and  toes  which 
are  like  the  rays  of  a  fan.  The  shiner  spreads  out 
these  fins  on  either  side  of  him,  and  they  keep  him 
in  an  upright  position.  There  is  another  fin  stick- 
ing up  on  his  back,  and  still  another  below,  near 
his  tail.  These  help  to  hold  him  steady. 

8.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  shiner  keeps  right 


216         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

side  up,  but  not  so  easy  to  see  how  he  floats  or 
keeps  himself  from  sinking.  Watch  him !  He 
moves  a  little !  This  is  a  simple  operation.  He 
vibrates  his  tail  horizontally,  just  as  a  boat  is 
sculled  by  working  a  single  oar  at  the  stern.  But 
how  he  manages  to  stand  still,  and  to  rise  or  drop 
in  the  water  is  not  so  clear.  To  learn  this  secret 
of  the  shiner,  we  must  catch  him. 

9.  Most  young  fishermen  study  the  habits  oi 
fish  but  little.  They  readily  learn  to  distinguish 
the  varieties.  They  know  the  roach,  by  the  red  in 


The  Rock-Bass. 


its  eyes  and  about  its  lower  parts ;  and  the  chub, 
by  its  large  neck  and  head,  coarse  scales  and  flesh. 
They  know  the  perch,  by  its  yellow  color  and 
small  head,  and  because  it  is  a  "  bold  biter,"  as 
Walton  says ;  the  rock-bass,  by  its  broader  body 
and  pouting  under  lip ;  the  sun-fish,  or  pumpkin- 
seed,  because  it  is  nearly  round.  And  these  fishes 


SHINY  TENANTS  OF  BROOK  AND  POND.     217 

have  made  more  or  less  impression  on  all  young 
anglers  by  the  sharp,  ugly  spines  with  which  their 
fins  are  armed. 

10.  Everybody,  too,  knows  the  sucker,  by  his 
peculiar  mouth;    and  the  bull-head,  because  his 
head  is  the  largest  part  of   him,  and  carries  ten 
spines    with  whicli  to  draw   blood  from  tender 
hands.     These  peculiar  marks  are  soon   learned, 
but  who  notes  the  resemblances  or  difference  of 
fishes,  or  sees  that  the  chub,  and  roach,  and  shiner, 
and  sucker  have  soft  fins,  and  the  perch  and  bass 
have  sharp,  stiff  fins  ?     Or  who  knows  how  these 
fishes  stand  still  in  the  water  ? 

11.  But  we  must  catch  our  shiner  before  he 
gets  away.     Izaak  Walton  gives  to  young  fisher- 
men some  hints  that  it  may  be  well  for  them  to 
learn.     He  tells  them  that  the  earth-worms  they 
use  for  bait  should  be  taken  from  the  ground  long 
enough  to  become  empty  and  hungry  before  they 
are  used.     The  hook  should  enter  near  the  tail  of 
the  worm,  so  as  to  leave  the  head  covering  the  end 
or  barb  of  the  hook.     And  further  he  says :  "  Be- 
fore you  begin  to  angle,  cast  to  have  the  wind  on 
your  back ;  and  the  sun,  if  it  shines,  to  be  before 
you ;  and  to  fish  down  stream ;  and  to  carry  the 
top  of  your  rod  downward,  by  which  means  the 
shadow  of   yourself,  and  rod  too,   will   be   least 
offensive   to  the  fish,  for  the  sight  of  any  body 


218         NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

amazes  the  fish,  and  spoils  your  sport,  of  which 
you  must  take  great  care." 

12.  We  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  catching  our 
shiner.     A  hungry  worm  on  a  small  hook,  let  down 
by  a  fine  grass-line,  gently  into  the  water— there  ! 
he  nibbles ;  don't  be  in  a  hurry :  let  him  get  a  firm 
hold  ;  there  !    He  comes  !     Squirming  with  all  his 
might,  and  shining  like  a  silver  dollar.     Lay  him 
down.     See  how  he  pants  !     Notice  the  rising  and 
falling  of  the  small  lid  on  the  side  of  his  head. 
Raise  this  lid,  and  see  the  gills  full  of  red  blood. 
These  are  his  breathing-apparatus.      He  can  not 
live  on  air.     He  needs  the  same  oxygen  that  is  in 
the  air,  but  he  must  get  it  from  the  water.     Into 
his  mouth  the  water  runs,  and,  as  it  passes  out 
under  the  gill-cover,  the  gills  take  the  oxygen  out 
of  the  water  and  send  it  to  the  blood. 

13.  That   is   the    way    in    which    the    shiner 
breathes.     His  flesh  is  very  poor  eating,  and  is  full 
of  minute  bones ;  but  any  fish  seems  good  to  the 
youth  who  catches  it.     So,  now  that  it  is  dead,  we 
will  open  and  dress  it.     Under  the  spine  we  find  a 
transparent  sac,  evidently  filled  with  air.     This  is 
the  swimming-bladder,  and  it  is  filled  with  gas  or 
emptied  at  the  will  of  the  fish ;  and,  just  as  it  is 
more  or  less  filled,  the  fish  rises,  remains  stationary, 
or  sinks  in  the  water. 

14.  The  fish  world  is  more  numerous  in  people 


SHINY  TENANTS  OF  BROOK  AND  POND.     219 

than  that  of  any  other  animals,  and  the  varieties 
are  almost  endless.  Some  of  them,  like  our  com- 
mon fish,  are  found  singly,  and  some,  like  the 
mackerel  of  the  sea,  move  in  large  companies  or 
schools.  Some  are  caught  with  nets  or  seines,  but 
many  of  them,  like  the  cod  of  the  ocean,  and  the 
cat-fish  of  the  rivers,  are  taken  with  large  hooks. 
Some  are  deceived  by  a  savory  bait  covering  the 
hook,  and  others  are  fools  enough  to  swallow  the 
mischievous  barb  with  only  a  piece  of  bright  metal 
attached,  and  trolled,  or  drawn  through  the  water 
behind  a  boat. 

15.  The  salmon  family  is  an  interesting  one, 
including  the  large  trout  and  white  fishes  of  the 


The  Speckled  Trout. 

lakes,  and  the  river  salmon  that  run  up  high  water- 
falls to  lay  their  eggs  and  leave  their  young  in 
secluded  places.  But  the  speckled  or  brook  trout 
of  the  small,  clear  brooks  in  the  Northern  States,  is 
the  most  beautiful  as  well  as  the  most  palatable 
of  all. 

16.  A  practical   skill   alone  takes   the  brook 


220         NEIGHBORS   WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

trout.  With  all  the  devices  of  hooks  and  lines, 
of  worms  and  artificial  flies,  the  trout-fisher  must 
move  deftly  and  unseen,  when  he  dangles  his  line 
after  this  wary,  crimson-spotted  fairy  of  the  brook. 
It  is  exciting  sport  to  catch  and  land  the  trout,  and 
he  who  succeeds  will  feel  like  joining  with  our 
good  brother  of  the  angle  when  he  says  :  "  I  once 
heard  one  say,  '  I  envy  not  him  that  eats  better 
meat  than  I  do,  nor  him  that  is  richer,  or  that 
wears  better  clothes  than  I  do  :  I  envy  nobody  but 
him  that  catches  more  fish  than  I  do.'  And  such 
a  man  is  like  to  prove  an  angler ;  and  this  noble- 
emulation  I  wish  to  you  and  all  young  anglers." 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 
FINNY   TRIBES    OF    LAKE    AND    SEA. 

1.  A  LITTLE  boot-black  in  Chicago,  who  had 
been  reared  in  an  orphan  asylum,  when  asked 
who  his  father  and  mother  were,  replied  that  he 
had  no  parents  :  that  he  was  born  an  orphan.  So 
the  millions  of  little  fish  in  the  great  world  of 
water  might  say  with  some  real  truth  that  they 
were  born  orphans.  With  few  exceptions,  they 
are  hatched  from  eggs  laid  and  left  alone  in  the 
water.  From  the  first  moment  when  they  are  set 


FINNY  TRIBES  OF  LAKE  AND  SEA.          221 

free  from  their  embryo  prison,  they  know  no  par- 
ents, but  are  left  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  with- 
out help.  This  early  independence  gives  them 
the  pluck  they  need.  Fish  life  is  a  real  battle, 
and  the  main  occupation  of  all  fish  is  to  eat  and 
to  keep  from  being  eaten. 

2.  Fish  are  admirably  adapted,  by  the  way 
they  are  made,  to  kill  and  to  keep  from  being 
killed.     The  little  trout,  that  lives  principally  on 
flies  and  worms,  is  a  nice  nugget  for  bass  to  eat ; 
but  he  is  so  active  that  he  can  get  away  from  his 
cruel  enemy,  and  can  climb  the  tumbling  streams 
where  the  bass  can  not  go.     The  pike  has  large 
jaws  and  sharp  teeth,  and  is  a  heartless  cannibal 
of  small  fish;  but  it  is  said  that  he  looks  and 
meditates  long  before  he  concludes  to  take  into 
his  mouth  and  send  down  his  throat  the  little  sun- 
fish,  with  its  erect  spines  standing  on  its  back  like 
angry  spears. 

3.  In  the  bird  world,  the  eagle,  who  can  tear 
a  lamb  in  pieces,  can  not  catch  the  pigeon  on  the 
wing;  and  the  spry,  little  kingbird  can  fly  over 
the  eagle  and  wound  him  in  the  neck.     So,  in  the 
fish  world,  some  individuals  are  armed  with  giant 
weapons  to  kill,  while  others  are  able  to  live  and 
protect  themselves  by  being  small  and  active,  and 
by  other  curious  provisions. 

4.  Low  down  in  the  scale  of  life,  and  without 


222         NEIGHBORS  WITH   WINGS  AND  HNS. 


TJie  Stlcklelack  and  its  Nest, 


FINNY  TRIBES   OF  LAKE  AND  SEA.          223 

bones  or  jaws,  are  some  creatures  of  the  water  that 
have  an  odd  way  of  getting  on  in  life.  The  cuttle 
fish  is  one  of  the  family  of  fish  called  head-footed, 
because  they  are  all  head  and  feet.  They  defend 
themselves  with  a  bottle  of  ink  which  they  carry. 
When  attacked,  they  color  the  water  about  them 
with  this  fluid,  so  that  their  enemy  can  not  see 
them,  and  under  cover  of  this  black  cloud  they 
make  their  escape  and  capture  their  prey.  The 
squid  is  like  the  cuttle-fish.  It  has  been  found 
twice  the  length  of  a  man,  and  with  arms  five 
times  as  long  as  a  man.  These  arms  are  sprawl- 
ing, strong,  and  supple,  and  can  be  very  dangerous. 
The  devil-fish  has  the  same  sort  of  arms  or  legs, 
and  can  travel  on  land  as  well  as  in  water. 

5.  Among  the  higher  orders  of  fish  that  have 
bones,  there  are  found  equally  remarkable  means 
of  defense  and  attack.  The  balloon-fish  is  covered 
with  spines  like  a  porcupine,  and  must  be  an  un- 
comfortable morsel  for  the  mouth  or  throat  of  any 
other  fish.  The  stickleback,  whose  name  tells  of 
its  nature,  is  even  a  worse  inmate  of  a  tender 
mouth  than  the  balloon-fish.  A  long,  sharp  sword 
forms  the  upper  jaw  of  the  sword-fish,  with  which 
it  can  pierce  a  shark.  The  saw-fish  carries  a  flat 
sword,  armed  on  either  side  with  ferocious  teeth. 
Savages  have  used  the  jaw  of  the  saw-fish  for  an 
ugly  weapon  of  war. 


224:        NEIGHBORS   WITH  WINGS  AND  FINS. 

6.  The  shark  is  so  large  and  powerful  that  he 
is  called  the  tiger  of  the  ocean.     He  sometimes 


The    White  Shark. 

reaches  a  length  of  thirty-five  feet.  The  hammer- 
fish,  whose  head  is  shaped  like  a  tack-hammer,  is 
dreaded  by  sailors  even  more  than  the  shark. 
The  angler-fish  practices  the  tricks  of  the  fisher- 
man. From  the  upper  part  of  his  head  shoot  out 
long  bending  spines  like  teamsters'  whips.  Like 
a  boy  holding  his  rod  and  line,  this  angler  lies  at 
his  ease  in  the  mud,  dangling  the  end  of  his  spine 
in  the  water  just  in  front  of  his  enormous  mouth. 
When  a  foolish  fish,  or  a  stupid  loon,  darts  for  the 
supposed  bait,  it  is  apt  to  find  itself  instantly  in- 
closed by  a  pair  of  hungry  jaws. 


FINNY  TRIBES  OF  LAKE  AND  SEA.  225 

7.  The  flying-fish,  that   lives   in   the  warmer 
latitudes,  is  able,  by  a  spring  into  the  air  with  the 


Fly  ing -Fish,  pursu 


spreading  of  its  wings,  to  fly  several  hundred  feet 
away.  In  this  manner  it  escapes  persecution  in 
the  water,  but  enters  a  new  world  of  trouble  when 
the  sea-birds  get  after  it  on  the  wing.  The  climb- 
ing-perch, of  India,  sometimes  emigrates  to  a  new 
home  by  creeping  up  the  bank  and  over  a  long 
space  of  dry  land,  using  its  fins  for  feet,  and  its 
instinct  for  a  guide.  India,  too,  has  a  little  fish, 

15 


226 


NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 


called  the  archer,  who  has  no  teeth.  The  spines 
on  its  back  are  a  protection  against  its  enemies, 
but  its  food  is  procured  by  shooting.  Spying  a 
beetle  sitting  on  an  overhanging  branch,  the  archer 
greets  him  with  a  few  drops  of  water  fired  from 
its  mouth ;  the  game  drops  to  the  surface  of  the 
water,  when  it  is  easily  caught. 

8.  The  flounder  finds  safety  in  being  flat.  Its 
head  and  both  eyes  are  on  one  side,  so  that  it  can 
lie  upon  the  bottom  in  shallow  water  on  the  other 
side,  with  its  eyes  turned  upward.  Thus  danger 


The  European   Turbot. 


can  come  from  one  side   only,  and  that  is  well 
watched.     The  English  sole  is  like  our  flounder ; 


FINNY  TRIBES  OF  LAKE  AND  SEA.  227 

and  the  turbot,  of  the  same  family,  is  large  and 
much  esteemed  for  food. 

9.  Great  prices  are  sometimes  paid  for  turbots, 
which  constitute  a  prominent  dish  at  public  din- 
ners.    A  story  is  told  in  which  the  turbot  is  a 
silent  character,  but  becomes  the  occasion  of  some 
slippery  dealing,  followed  by  a  merited  punish- 
ment :  A  rich  nobleman  was  about  to  be  married, 
and  great  preparations  were  made  at  his  castle  for 
the  wedding-feast.      Everything   rare  and  costly 
was  provided  except  fish.     Both  the  chief  cook 
and  the  nobleman  himself  were  sorely  put  out 
because  the  sea  was  so  rough  that  fishermen  dared 
not  venture  out.     However,  the  very  day  before 
the  wedding  a  sturdy  fisherman,  who  had  heard 
of  the  lord's  distress,  came  from  a  distant  village, 
bringing  an  unusually  fine  turbot,  and  asked  to  be 
admitted. 

10.  The   fat   little   Italian  porter,   sporting  a 
fine  livery  and  chain,  and  feeling  important  withal, 
was  quite  willing  to  turn  a  dishonest  penny  if  he 
could  not  turn  an  honest  one.     So  he  refused  the 
fisherman  admittance  unless  he  would  agree  to 
share  with  him  half  the  price  received  from  the 
nobleman  for  the  fish.     The  fisherman  said  he  had 
worked  hard  to  catch  the  fish  and  bring  it  so  long 
a  distance,  and  that  it  would  be  ridiculous  to  give 
the  porter  half  the  price    he  should  get  for  it. 


228         NEIGHBORS    WITH   WINGS  AND  FINS. 

"  As  you  choose/'  said  the  porter,  sulkily,  "  only 
you  will  not  show  your  fish  in  yonder  kitchen 
unless  you  accept  niy  proposition.  Say  yes,  and 
you  will  get  whatever  you  choose  to  ask.  Other- 
wise, you  can  stay  outside  till  your  fish  spoils." 

11.  The  fisherman,  tired  and  angry,  felt  obliged 
to  accept  the  unjust  demand,  and,  having  shoul- 
dered  his   turbot,   was   marched   into    the    great 
kitchen,  where  he  met  the  nobleman  himself,  who 
was   delighted  at   the  arrival   of   the   longed-for 
game.     "  Don't  be  afraid,"  he  said ;  "  name  your 
price,  for   I   will   pay  anything  within   reason." 
And  he  displayed  his  purse  filled  with  shining, 
jingling  gold.     "  Sir,"  said  the  fisherman,  "  I  am 
about  to  ask  a  strange  price,  but  it  is  the  only  one 
I  will  take  for  the  turbot." 

12.  "  Speak  up,  speak  up,"  cried  the  lord,  im- 
patient to  secure  his  treasure ;  "I  will  pay  your 
own  price."      "  Well,   sir,   I   crave   two  hundred 
lashes  on  my  bare  back,"  said  the  man,  with  deter- 
mination.    "  Nonsense  !    Are  you  mad  ?     Tell  me 
your  price  and  be  gone,"  said  the  nobleman,  an- 
grily.     "This  is  my  price,  and   no  other  will  I 
take,  so  please  you,  great  sir,"  said  the  fisherman, 
as  he  began  to  repack  his  fish.     All  thought  him 
silly,   and   joined   to   persuade   him   to   accept  a 
money  price,  but  with  no  success,  for  he  repeated, 
firmly,  "Two  hundred  lashes,  or  nothing/' 


FINNY  TRIBES  OF  LAKE  AND  SEA.  229 

13.  The  nobleman,  concluding  that  the  fellow 
must  be  mad,  ordered  his  men  to  give  him  the  two 
hundred  blows,  saying  that  he  would  soon  cry 
"  stop,"  and  that  the  lashes  could  be  laid  on  light- 
ly.   So  the  fisherman  took  off  his  jacket,  laid  bare 
his  big,  strong  shoulders,  and  took  the  first  hundred 
lashes,  when  he  cried,  "  Hold  !  hold  !  that  will  do." 

14.  "I  am  glad  to  hear  that,"  said  the  lord, 
clapping  his  hands;  "but  I  thought  you  demanded 
two  hundred  lashes  ?  "  "  Aye,  sir,  so  I  did,"  replied 
the  fisherman,  "  but  I  have  a  partner  in  the  busi- 
ness, and  I  ask  that  your  lordship  will  kindly 
summon  him  that  he  may  now  receive  the  other 
half  of  the  pay."     "  Why,  you  don't  mean  that 
there's  another  man  as  mad  as  yourself?"  cried 
the  lord,  deeply  puzzled.     "  Yes,  sir,  and  he  is  not 
far  off,"  said  the  fisherman  :  "  he  is  your  own  porter, 
and  he  insisted  on  my  keeping  outside  unless  I 
shared  with  him  whatever  you  gave  me." 

15.  "Oh,  now  I  understand,"  cried  the  noble- 
man.    "  Fetch  him  instantly,  and  let  him  have  his 
share  by  all  means.     Lay  it  on  soundly,  my  men. 
Afterward  he  can  go,  for  I  want  no  such  clever 
gentleman  at  my  doors." 

16.  So  the  porter  was  paid,  and  heartily  too, 
at  the  end  of  the  lash,  while  the  honest  fisherman 
received  a  silver  coin  for  every  blow  he  had  en- 
dured, and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 


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